Only in Death
by Valius 926
Summary: Valius and Alaric Ravenor have fallen. In the wake of their deaths, different factions move to establish themselves as the dominating power in the wizarding world. Yet it is only in death that true victory can be sought. OCs/postDH/Non-Canon
1. The End of the Beginning

It was a cold, wet day. The rain fell heavily down on the two women as they made their way slowly through the graveyard. Elyssia Ravenor gave a deep sigh, her breath coalescing before her in a cloud of mist, brushing a strand of her dark hair out of her eyes. A hood was pulled up to conceal her features, her black robes pulled close around her body to ward off the cold; the cold both outside and within.

Her normally cheerful expression was gone, vanished, replaced by a look of grief that had been frozen on her face for the past week since the news had reached her. She'd cried her eyes raw at the funeral but no more since then though the desire to remained strong. She had been unable to do much else, finding her mind wandering off to past memories she'd rather not remember whenever she attempted to carry out a day to day task to try and get back on track. Instead, all she got were flashes of the past; when she'd first received the news and, more prominently, the funeral.

The family had gathered; Sasha and Regina, the younger sisters of the two, clung together, trying their best to comfort each other in vain. Alexius and Briareos, the younger males of the family, stood with backs rigid, heads lowered and hands clasped before them. They had both held deep respect for their older cousins, training up with them as their role models. Elyssia had stood alone, her other half, her twin brother gone. She'd tried her best to control herself, hold back from being overwhelmed as she had when she'd knelt by the open coffin. The lid was closed and with it, the greater part of her soul had been sealed away with it.

Aside from them, a delegation from the Ministry had been present, an honour guard of Aurors waiting in ranks to watch the passing of the fallen. Elyssia knew that the members of Valius and Alaric's former special Auror unit were also around, lurking in the shadows to maintain secrecy but also to pay their respects.

Claire Vindictus, former Minister for Magic, had been present, along with Kelsey Heap, Glaedr Pendragon, Devin McCauley and a number of professors who had grown up with Alaric in school. Kara Ous had also stood alone, gazing down as the coffins were lowered into the ground, tears streaking her face, eyes fixed on the disappearing remains of her former friend. The grey skies had flashed with lightning, echoing the mood of the assembled witches and wizards. Over the hour, the mourners had departed until only those closest to the two remained; the Ravenors and Kara Ous. With the greatest will power, Elyssia had forced herself to order the others to return home and then to leave too.

And now they were here again; Elyssia and…Kara. The older woman blinked once slowly, hoping that when she opened her eyes again, the sight before would disappear but there it was… Two blocks of stone, etched deep with writing, the Ravenor crest stamped across the top of each. Elyssia knelt by one, wiping her eyes to see through tears, hand resting on cold stone of the grave.

_Valius Aurelius Ravenor_

_1980 – 2013_

_'Semper Fidelis'_

The grave next to it was almost identical except for a different date and Alaric's name inscribed where Valius' was. Alaric and Valius Ravenor; two of the most powerful Aurors of the time, killed at last after so many conflicts and battles for the sake of the greater good. Both had endured such great hardship and suffering, taking enough damage throughout their lives and careers to kill a normal Auror several times over. And at last, it finally had.

First, Valius had been killed, the report delivered back to the Ravenor estate. He had been leading an action against a coven of dark wizards, backed up by a team of Aurors handpicked by him. At the height of the battle, the dark wizards had been on the verge of summoning something. Valius had slain the coven leaders but the backwash of energy had surged out, blinding everyone. When everyone came to, the dark wizards were dead…and so was Valius.

A few days later, Alaric had been with Kara at a café, coming to terms with the loss of his older cousin. Elyssia knew that Kara was the one Alaric had always confided in, spoke to when he needed to talk to someone. And he had been with her when he died. More dark wizards had come for him as they sat there, unleashing destructive magic that levelled the building in the conflict. Alaric had used what power he had to shield Kara and the other civilians as the building came down. His body had been recovered shortly after Auror teams had arrived on the scene.

The memories made Elyssia stifle another sob. To never speak to her twin again, to feel him and rely on him. It was to be deprived of the other half of her world. And Alaric… Her younger cousin, the little boy she had seen grow into a man over the years… Both gone now… It was better to just get her duties over and done with quickly, go home and…return to brooding over life without those two. At her side, Kara, kneeling by Alaric's grave, clearly felt the same.

Elyssia drew out the object she'd been keeping beneath her robes, a long item, wrapped in a black cloth. She unwrapped it slowly, hands working at the material carefully. A bolt of lightning flashed overhead, catching the mirror sheen of a blade as she peeled back the final layer. Valius' sword, the enchanted weapon he'd used to slay countless dark wizards and creatures, rested in her hands. Elyssia's hands caressed the worn grip, trying to feel Valius' presence from where he'd held it so many times, when she'd watched her brother practice for hours on end with it.

She laid it down on his grave quickly and concealed it beneath the earth, before she lost the will to do so and ended up kneeling in the driving rain for the next few hours. She stood and backed up, looking over to see Kara still kneeling by Alaric's, laying down his own weapon parallel to Valius'. Her head was bowed and she was crying uncontrollably. Elyssia laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and drew her to her feet, hugging her close as she felt her own grief resurge. Alaric had always considered Kara to be family. Well she was welcome to be a part of it, even now.

Slowly, task done, Elyssia began to steer Kara back the way they had come. Time to go…home. They had left their loved ones' blades upon their graves as they had requested before they had gone. Supposedly, a spell woven into the blades that had bound them to their masters in life would continue to endure in death. The weapons couldn't be stolen and death would strike down any who tried. They would lie there with the two warriors who had died fighting for all they held dear. Elyssia looked back one last time and then the two women vanished, disapparating back to the place they could call home.

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In the shadow of a Ministry building, a group of witches and wizards had gathered, voices low and hushed as they whispered among each other. Another one joined them, shrouded in blackness, his pace hurried. The others all turned to look as he approaching, their voices falling silent to hear the news. The man paused to catch his breath, the urge to convey his message lending haste to his movement. "The rumours we've heard…they are true, all confirmed. Valius and Alaric Ravenor are dead."

There was a crescendo of sound as the group all sought to vocalise their opinions and doubts but their leader silenced them with a raised hand, looking around carefully to make sure no other Ministry workers were around to notice this gathering. "Be silent. I have seen the bodies. I've spoken with Aurors who were there at both scenes and they confirm to have seen those two get taken out."

"And so… Vindictus is gone and those two are now out of the way. It is time someone took control of this…situation."

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In another part of the country, another gathering was taking place. Dark wizards, dark robes, dark assembly point… Members from several covens gathered to hear the announcement from their informant, one who was just sufficiently unknown by Ministry forces to be able to be present at the funeral without being picked up. And that was what they had all come to hear about… The funeral of two of their greatest enemies; Valius and Alaric Ravenor… It was under their command of the Auror and the Enforcement departments that successful raid after raid had been launched on dark wizard covens, both in remote areas and those lurking among the good wizarding population themselves.

And now they were gone. Without their leadership, the Ministry would falter. There was no clear successor to their positions and while they floundered, the darker forces of the wizarding world would take advantage of this moment, prepare to strike while disarray still remained. Though none could claim responsibility for their defeat, the assassins having been slain by the backlash of power. The only glory to be claimed now would be in bringing down the Ministry and establishing their hold on the wizarding world, something made far simpler now the Ravenors were out the way.

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Deep within the estate of the Ishval family, Matariel paced restlessly. The ex-Auror and nemesis of Valius Ravenor paused to stare into the fire, cracking before him. The flames illuminated his expressionless face, jaw set, old scars showing white where he had just managing to stop Valius' opening killing spell when they'd last met. Ever since that fated day when he'd turned his back on the Ministry and fought for the other side, his former friend had hunted him relentlessly, mercilessly.

But not anymore… For so long, Matariel had imagined that if Valius was to die, it would be by his hand in a duel between the two, a final contest of wills to decide who was the greater warrior. The report back from Sapheriel dispelled that future occurrence. It was hard to believe that anything could stop the oldest Ravenor, especially considering what he had seen him overcome when they'd fought.

His hands curled around the hilt of his sword. With the enchanted blade, he'd stood face to face against Valius and battled countless times until both were near death's door yet lingering at the threshold. Only some kind of fate had averted an end of their paths before now. But now that was all over and there were things to be done. A shame that Valius' defeat would not be one of the things Matariel Ishval would be known for…

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Night had fallen, long since the two women disapparated. From the shade of the lone, solitary tree in the graveyard, two more figures, cloaked in black emerged. They moved without a sound, swift and silent like ghosts. Aside from the two, there wasn't a soul for several kilometres all around. They came to a halt at a pair of graves, simple stones set into the earth, inscribed with the names of the fallen. The crest of the Ravenor clan was carved on both.

In the pale moonlight, the first figure cast back his hood, revealing a man in his mid-twenties, black hair, scarred and wearing an eye patch over his left eye. Through his remaining one, he gazed down at the grave before him, deep in thought. When he spoke, his voice was low and full of remorse. "Did you see them…? The pain they're going through… There must've been another way to do this…"

The other figure knelt by the other grave and reached beneath the ground, withdrawing, holding a gleaming sword. He rose, spinning it in his hand and sliding it carefully into the sheath at his side. Drawing back his hood, black cloth tied over his ruined eyes, Valius Ravenor looked over at his cousin, expression emotionless. "We're not the only ones who saw that. It had to be done, Alaric. It hurts me more than…dying to cause such grief to Elyssia but it was all necessary… Now, get your sword. We've got a job to do. Time to get used to being dead."


	2. Turning Point

Elyssia opened her eyes to a dark room. She could feel silken sheets against her skin, sweat sticking them to her naked, toned body. She couldn't make out the face of her partner for that night and his name eluded her though she made no effort to try and remember. The previous night's events were pretty much a blur and highly similar to the last several days except with different guys each time. It didn't seem important to her really; who she had gotten into bed with, only that somehow the emptiness within her might be filled, even if only temporary. She used them as much as they used her, so at least it was a two-way thing.

But the gaping space in her soul where her twin had once occupied couldn't be restored at all by any physical means such as this. Each of the Ravenors had their own ways of getting over problems they'd encountered in their lives. Alaric had found ways to drown his sorrows and past horrors with alcohol. Valius let his pent-up feelings through destructive means, destroying everything within reach until he'd calmed down. Elyssia, much to her twin's disapproval, overcame her troubles through physical and sexual gratification. It had always worked…up until this time.

Lying in the bed, she still only felt the pain and loss, just as raw as when she had first the news of Alaric and Valius' passing. Her partner shifted but remained asleep, worn out from the night's events. Silently, she slipped out of bed and started pulling on her clothes. She felt unclean, shameful at her attempts to try and overcome her grief but maybe if she kept at it…eventually the pain would fade. Without a sound, Elyssia closed the bedroom door behind her and left. Time to return home again…

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She decided to walk, rather than apparate. It took her an hour in the cool chill of the early morning to reach home, the familiar sight of the Ravenor estate looming into view, the powerbase of the Ravenor clan, now two fewer. It was built several generations back by the some of the male Ravenors as a home, a few defences short of a fortress. It had belonged to her and Valius' father until a few years back when he had been killed in action while on a mission with the Aurors during the Dark Lord's time. Such was the fate of all the males of the Ravenor bloodline… To live as an Auror and die in battle… She had just never imagined the same would hold true for Alaric and Valius.

Elyssia walked up the drive, a wide walkway through the front lawn, movements slow and measured. It took all her willpower to return here, this home where Alaric and Valius had lived, where they'd grown up and trained and ate and slept. It was where the weight of responsibility lay, on her as the oldest child now, meant to be looking after Regina and Sasha, Alexius and Briareos. They were her charges now and she feared failure, to fail them now that the job was passed to her by Valius.

Her twin had been so strong, a warrior without peer. Elyssia possessed equal strength in magic and her body was trained as Valius' had been. But she lacked his will, his enduring spirit that allowed him to surpass her in all things while he had been alive. The things he had gone through to protect the family and the wizarding world would have broken her. Elyssia Ravenor now had to step into a role she'd wished she never would have to, both due to the weight of it and the only reason that it would have fallen to her.

At last, she reached the front door and entered, closing it behind her quietly. It had been like this for the past several days, her returning secretly in the mornings like a small school kid out after her curfew. She sighed and slowly made her way into the living room, maybe to crash on the sofa. It was dim but as she entered, there was a click as the lights came on. She started and looked around. Already seated there were her little sister, Regina, and Sasha, Alaric's little sister. Neither looked little now, both now young women. They both rose to their feet as Elyssia turned to face them.

Sasha stepped closer to her, eyes tired but now narrowed in distaste. "So where have you been, Elyssia? Out again all night?"

"Yes… Not that it's any of your business." She didn't want to talk about this. Elyssia made for the doorway.

Before she had taken a step, a hand rested on her hand and spun her around. She was face to face with Sasha. The younger Ravenor was furious. "Don't give me that shit, Elyssia! It's our business when you're meant to be looking after us and you're not even here! We could be killed, killed like Valius and Alaric and you wouldn't know. You wouldn't fucking know."

"Sasha, I…"

"Save it, Elyssia! I don't want to hear any of your excuses. You think you're the only one hurting but we all are. We need you here. Valius wanted you to take over for him if anything happened to both him and Alaric but now I don't see why. I thought you used to care about us but where are you when we need you? Out. Away getting fucked by some stranger, no doubt."

There were tears in Sasha's eyes. She hated herself for speaking these words but they were what she felt in her heart, a rage to lash out with to wash away the grief. Regina felt the same but Sasha voiced the words her cousin wanted to keep to herself. "You know… Even Kara Ous's been around. She stopped by to see how we were doing, to see how you were doing. But you weren't here and she stayed, to look after us until the morning to make sure we were safe. Damn it, Elyssia. She's not even family but she cared more than you."

"I can't handle this now. We lost Val and Alaric. Now it's like we've already lost you too. Can't you see that? I can't take it anymore, Elyssia. If you leave us again like that, just don't come back. Please, just don't."

There was nothing Elyssia could say. She was stunned as the full force of Sasha's words hit home, the tirade replaying in her mind, word by burning word. She barely noticed as the younger girl hurried from the room, holding back her redoubling tears. Regina regarded her older sister with sad eyes before following Sasha without speaking a word. Shaking, Elyssia sank to her knees slowly, head in her hands. She couldn't deny anything she had said despite her efforts to.

She'd been running, running from accepting the loss, from the responsibilities placed on her. It was time to stop running. It was time to do her duty and honour the memory of her brother by fulfilling his final request.

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Two months had passed. Elyssia had stayed at the Ravenor estate, training. Her body was drenched with sweat as she moved back and forth, hands moving between guarding and striking. She wore black camo pants, the standard-issue Auror type that had been introduced under Alaric's command, and a dark t-shirt that clung to her body as she repeated the motions again and again. She'd woken at six in the morning and been training until now, pausing only to take in water.

That's how it had been since her…talk with Sasha. Since then, she'd been training for combat, to take over the role left to her by Valius. Her past flippant lifestyle had been pushed aside as she took up her new duties. She knew the training drills, she had complete command of all the magic Valius had known. It was only the drive to actually put in the effort that had held her back. And now she had it.

She finished her next hour and stopped. Her muscles were barely fatigued and her breath was light and steady. Pulling a towel hanging from the nearby weapon rack, she wiped her face and then tossed it aside, walking for the stairs so she could lie down or something on her break. She walked upstairs and stopped by the kitchen. Sasha was sitting there, eating lunch with Alexius and Briareos.

The two males, now both grown men, were talking quietly to one another and greeted Elyssia as she entered. Sasha looked over but when she met her gaze, she looked away, eyes down at her food. Elyssia sighed but left her younger cousin to her evasion. Regina had later told her that Sasha regretted all the things she'd said but couldn't bring herself to apologise. Well, she shouldn't have to. Her words had been a reality check to Elyssia and without it, she'd still be in the same state as before.

The doorbell rang and she to get it, opening the door to find Kara Ous. The younger woman looked better than the last time she had last seen her; more composed, less grief-stricken…and very visibly pregnant. "Oh…" Elyssia's eyes widened in surprise before remembering her manners and welcoming her inside. "Kara… It's good to see you. You…better sit down."

They moved into the living room and she helped Kara sit down. She leaned back into one of the sofas opposite her, hands on her lap. "You look like you've gotten a bit better, Kara. I heard you've been around to check up on the others. Thanks."

"Don't worry about it. I thought you might need some time out anyway. I loved Alaric but I can't even begin to imagine the pain you went through to lose your brother like that."

"Thanks anyway. I mean it." Elyssia had held onto the question for some moments now, wondering whether it was rude or not to ask so plainly but her curiosity got the better of her. "So…your baby…is it…Alaric's?"

"Damn…" That was…something of a surprise. Alaric and Kara had been close but Elyssia had never seen this coming. Alaric usually told her these sorts of things but this seemed to have slipped his mind. So…he was going to have been a father. A few more months… But now… It seemed so unfair. The kid would grow up without his blood father. Sure all the Ravenor children had grown up mostly without parents but they had at least know the warmth of both parents' affections for a short while. "Damn, Kara. I'm sorry… If there's anything I can do to help, you know you can just ask. You're family in all but name, you know. I…"

There was a crash from the hallway outside, followed by a groan that sounded like Briareos. Elyssia was on her feet in a flash, wand in hand. Kara made to rise too but she waved her to stay put. She advanced slowly and was almost at the doorway when a black streak seemed to flash by. It was a person, clad from head to foot in black material, face covered by a balaclava-type mask. "Hey…"

The figure seemed to hesitate, spinning around. There was a wand in their hand. Before they could act, Elyssia raised her own, a bolt of energy smashing into the stranger, causing them to slump by the front door. She approached cautiously, wand aimed at the prone figure. Glancing around the hallway, she saw Briareos, unconscious, lying face down, his wand just out of reach. Just as she was close enough to tap the figure with her foot, she heard Kara shout her name a second before there was the cold chill of metal against her neck.

"Careful now, Elyssia Ravenor. We're not here to fight." A woman spoke, right behind her with a knife at her throat, her voice soft and calm. Slowly, Elyssia raised her hands, wand dropping to the carpeted floor. The woman seemed to relax slightly. She didn't react fast enough as every muscle in Elyssia's body tensed. "Shame… I've been looking for a fight."

Her hands snapped up, seizing the woman's wrist so she couldn't move her knife. An elbow swept back, winding the figure, followed by flipping her over her shoulder and dumping her on the ground. Elyssia thought that should do it but her assailant was not done yet, rolling and coming up. Elyssia aimed a boot for her skull, three powerful kicks that the woman parried with her open hand, stepping in and sweeping her supporting leg beneath her. Elyssia felt herself falling back but went with it, a hand-spring carrying her over and her feet cracking into the woman's jaw as she flipped over, knocked her opponent down.

The woman attempted to rise, knife still clenched in her hand but Elyssia didn't let her. She lashed out with her foot, kicking her arms away, causing her to drop back down, unsupported. Hands working with precise motions, she disarmed her with a flourish, silver blade flashing in the light as it slapped into Elyssia's palm. She drew it back, ready to strike…when something caught her eye.

There was a marking on the blade, a rune almost identical to the ones on the blades up stairs, the combat knives that had belonged to Alaric and Valius. It was the symbol of the Zodiac unit, the special black-ops Auror unit that they had both been a part of before they had died. The thirteen operatives, all the sole survivors of the Accelerated Auror training program, trauma-hardened and supremely skilled warriors had supposedly been dispersed, some having become integrated into the normal Auror hierarchy like Alaric, Valius and Glaedr. The rest had just disappeared, carrying out assassinations and special operations that Alaric needed done without all the red tape.

The woman groaned beneath her and Elyssia eased off her slightly, leaning back so her knee wasn't pinning her by the chest. The other was stirring, unsteadily pulling themselves to their feet. They both sat up and pulled off their masks, their motions remarkably similar. Once the masks came off, the reason was more understandable. They were both identical; sharp features, bright green eyes and deep brown hair falling down to shoulder length now unbound by their masks. They looked no older than Sasha and Regina… Elyssia had seen their files in Valius' room when she was cleaning for her brother; Aurelia and Alexia Kys, designated codename, Gemini.

Sighing, Elyssia pulled the one at her feet upright. Twins…just like her and Valius had been. The two brushed themselves down, composing themselves. By now, Sasha had appeared and was bringing Briareos around, unfazed by the appearance of these two other women in their hallway. "So…what brings you two to our house today, girls."

The one she had taken out second was grumbling to herself as she turned to face Elyssia, looking, not resentful at being defeated, but more sheepish. "Well, I'm Aurelia Kys and this is my sister, Alexia. I thought Sasha would have told you about us already… Anyway, Valius' final orders to our unit was that, if anything should happen to both him and Aly, we should look out for the rest of their family; being you, Sasha, Regina, Alexius and…Briareos." She glanced over at the Auror trainee who was only now recovering from where they had taken him out.

A faint sadness tinged her voice as she continued. There was no blood tie between those of Zodiac unit but they had all fought and near died together for the greater part of 2 years. Though they were supposedly hardened to the touch of death, deep within, even these veteran assassins felt such a great loss. "Since they…died, there've been a constant guard on this place, rotating two of the unit every day to keep an eye on the place and step in if trouble arises. Today is…Amelia and Samuval's turn. They're around here…somewhere."

"Hmm…" Elyssia ushered the two girls inside to the living room and had them sit down next to Kara, who shifted herself to give them room. "Well…if you're not on guard duty, what are you actually doing here then? And dressed like that…?" She raised an eyebrow as she now ran her gaze over their outfits. Both were clad in black body-suits, tight against their athletic forms, weapon harnesses strapped to their bodies, holding their knives, wands and some other hidden equipment. "And also…what happened with Briareos?"

"We didn't choose to wear these…" The girl was defensive, which amused Elyssia to some degree that she could be embarrassed by something like this while would happily stab and gut a dark wizard with her knife in a second. "We're dressed like this because we had to enter the estate unseen so no one would know we were here to deliver a message to you. We came in the back way when we ran into Briareos who thought we were enemies. He had his wand out so we had to subdue him before he could cause any commotion…and then you turned up."

Aurelia reached into one of her side pouches and handed a scroll over to Elyssia. Task done, the twins rose, fully recovered from the injuries they had just taken. "Valius said to give you this if something happened. Anyway…we have to get going now, Elyssia. We're already late and Kesian's going to be pissed. There were more people watching your house than we originally thought so it took longer to get in. But don't worry, we're better at it than they are. If they try anything, we'll kill them."

They were being watched…? Elyssia felt a chill at those words, suddenly grateful that there were, in turn, watchers of their own looking out for them in secret. So there was this Amelia and Samuval looking out for them today and the Kys twins would pop up from time to time. And then there was… "Wait, you two…who's Kesian?"

Aurelia was already gone but Alexia looked back, hand on the door. "Kesian Danaan, Zodiac Twelve. He's our acting commander in Valius and Aly's…absence. We'll see you soon, Elyssia. It's been nice to meet you." Then she was gone and Elyssia was left with Kara…and the scroll in her hand.

"What's it say…?" Kara voiced the thoughts in Elyssia's mind but it took some effort to do. This was a message to her, penned by Valius in the event that he died. Some of his last remaining thoughts and words, directed at his twin sister, now resting in her hands. It was another tie that hadn't yet been severed between them.

With some effort, she broke the seal and unrolled the parchment. There it was… His words in his bold script. Her eyes scanned the letter once, twice and then she rolled it back up again, placing it on the side table carefully. A will… He'd left her all his possessions and the job of training the others of the family…for war. More war, more battles… Elyssia looked over at Kara and sighed. Was this the kind of world Alaric's son was to be born in to…? And people thought the trouble ended with the end of the Dark Lord… How wrong they were…


	3. The Traitor's Hand

Two figures paced back and forth over the remains of a building, a cordoned off site in the suburbs of London. It was ringed off by yellow tape, often affected by muggle police. According to their papers, a gas leak and explosion had demolished the house, killing the sole inhabitant, Jaq Wessel, real estate investor with the local bank. It had been a few weeks since the incident had occurred and all curious bystanders had long since moved on. No one was there to notice the two men who had stepped over the yellow border as they inspected the place.

They were similarly built, tall and broad. They wore long grey raincoats, pulled tight against the light drizzle and cold...or maybe to conceal the black body armour underneath them. The shorter of the two knelt down to sift absentmindedly through the rubble with his hands, peering out one eye as he tried to find clues as to what really happened there. The other stood back, adjusting his sunshades before shoving his hands back in his pockets.

"Do you feel that, Alaric?" Valius kicked aside some wreckage with his boot. The blind man breathed in deep, reaching out with his senses to try and feel what had happened here. The home of Jaq Wessel, Valius' second in command while working with the Aurors, was not demolished by any physical means. He could almost taste the magic in the air. There was a tinge to it that he recognised, a type of magic he knew all too well.

"Of course I freaking can't feel that, Valius. I don't have your 'special' senses." His younger cousin walked over, hands in his pockets too. He'd removed his trademark eye patch for the sake of blending in and his black hair had been cut down to a crewcut. His sword was wrapped up in his invisibility cloak, strapped to his back. He gazed down at the ruins, musing to himself. The physical disguises were merely a backup. The charms cast on them meant that even if someone looked at their faces, they would only appear as blurs, concealing their true identity or if noticed, the observers would find their attentions shifting elsewhere.

It had been a while since they had 'died' and things had changed. Especially changes in the Ministry, new heads of department...and they certainly weren't people Valius or Alaric would have ever approved of as suitable candidates. But then being dead meant you couldn't really complain so the two had to sit on the sidelines while the power-hungry officials started taking over.

Ministry internal politics was fierce but Alaric, as head of the Auror department had made sure there was no room for misinterpretation who would be his direct successor. And then before Jaq Wessel could take that role, he'd ended up dead, the official newspaper headline stating it the work of dark wizards. Such was the fate of Niklos Haken too. The deputy Minister of Magic had disappeared under similar circumstances and Valius didn't really believe in coincidence and so there they were.

"There's no dark magic here, Alaric. There wasn't and never has been any dark magic around here." Valius voice was low, a whisper that only travelled as far as Alaric.

"What of it? So they didn't use dark magic to kill Jaq. Poison? Stabbed him before he could get his wand out maybe?"

"Dark wizards getting the drop on Jaq Wessel? We are thinking about the same guy, right? But I didn't say magic wasn't used. Just not dark magic." Valius took off his shades, folding them in one hand, and gave a deep sigh. "Try...Delta level magic."

"Delta... But that's...?" Alaric stood up, looking worried. "Delta level magic is...Auror magic. Auror specialist magic." He paused for a moment, pulling the Daily Prophet from his coat pocket and studying the cover page. "Shit. I knew Corvin and Octavis were ambitious...but I thought they'd do this through all that political crap. Using Aurors to kill off their competition is taking it to a whole new level."

"Then they're approaching that level where they need to be killed, don't you think? Or maybe we should wait..." Valius mused that one over to himself for a bit. "Wessel's dead and so's Haken. I think that warrants killing enough as it is." The older Ravenor started walking, coat billowing out behind him as the rain intensified.

"Hmm... Waiting is good...see how far this goes and all. See how far they're willing to take this. Besides, they can't do that much to clear house. There's only a limited number of Aurors that dedicated to them. I think..." He stood thinking for a moment before realising his cousin was leaving. "Hey! What's the rush?"

"I had a vision. Amelia's in trouble. We have to help her now." The shout came from behind a sheet of rain growing ever more distance as Valius started moving faster away.

"A vision? Shit..." Tossing the paper aside, Alaric followed at a run, disappearing into the storm. The moving pictures of Janos Corvin and Kain Octavis, the newly appointed Minister of Magic and Head of the Aurors, slowly were wiped clear as rain washed it all away.

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Adam's breath came quick and fast as he ran, pushing himself with every last ounce of strength and speed. Screeching flashes of light shot past his head, blowing holes out of the walls of the building next to him as he sprinted down an alleyway and turned a corner. His torn robes caught on a broken windowpane so he pulled them off and kept running. He could feel his cracked ribs stabbing into the sides of his chest and it was all he could do to keep from screaming in pain and give away his position. He had to get help. He had to find someone...but who the hell could he turn to now? It was the Aurors who had tortured him and had sent the men who were now trying to kill him.

His foot met a wet patch in the street and he fell hard. There were shouts and he heard his pursuers coming closer. He tried to pull himself upright at least but the pain was too intense. He wanted to apparate but some magic field was preventing him, barring his swift escape out of there. He needed a weapon. Adam McFarlin was not going to go down without a fight. A bottle, left by some muggles enjoying a Friday night out, lay nearby so he seized it and smashed it against a crate, giving him a ring of razor edges. Maybe if he got one near enough, he could do...something. The footsteps were drawing nearer.

"There you are."

"Shit..." Adam turned his head just as a boot came whistling up and kicked him hard in the face. His nose broke and blood sprayed across his face, hot against his skin. He lashed out instinctively with his makeshift weapon but the man dodged and kicked him hard again, this time in the chest, doubling him over. He was curled over when the next kick came, then the next. He tried to drew in tight as more men gathered around him, more boots cracking down on his body, striking already bruised or fractured parts. He heard taunts and jeers as his pursuers laid about with their boots.

The others backed up for a second. Their leader placed his boot on Adam's face, pressing his cheek against the cold pavement. A wand tip appeared alongside it, glowing with burning warmth. "Well McFarlin. It's been fun. But we have bigger fish to fry. After we deal with you, we get to have some fun with your bitch cousin and then hunt down her Auror buddies."

The wand withdrew and Adam could sense the man raising his boot to stamp down and finish him by crushing his skull. Even as it whistled down to finish him, his Auror training kicked in and he started to move, to try and evade the killing blow, to somehow try and fight back. But the boot never landed. From where he lay, Adam watched as the man stumbled, his silhouette staggering. Except there was something wrong with that silhouette. Its head was facing a physically impossible angle.

There were shouts as two more figures joined the crowd. There were flashes as blades reflected the light from the streetlights overhead. Blood splattered the pavement. There were muffled shouts and then it was over. The six men who had chased Adam for the past hour were dead, bleeding out silently. A gloved hand reached down and Adam took it, feeling himself pulled to his feet by a strong arm. He looked up to try and identify who had helped him but the man's face seemed to be...blurred, as if looking at it through a dirty lens or a pool of water. "Who...?"

"It doesn't matter." Even the man's voice was obscured, distorted. Well...they seemed to be the good guys. They helped him into a sitting position with his back against the wall. A whispered word and the flash of a wand and he felt his injuries lessen slightly. Hands worked to bandage his injuries, working with skill earned through experience and extensive practice. When that was done, the voices wanted answers. "So, Adam, tell me what happened. Where is your cousin, Amelia?"

There was something about that voice that Adam seemed to recognise. Not the actual voice but just something about its tone or manner. It was familiar... A voice he trusted. "It was yesterday. Or maybe the day before, I can't tell. I was just out in central London with Amelia to get some lunch. On our way back to the office, we noticed we were being followed so Amelia wanted us to move away from the main crowded areas in case any innocent people got injured. We moved to a more deserted alleyway to ambush our pursuers and Amelia captured the first with her knife at his throat."

"We were surprised to find that he was an Auror. Not someone we knew well but who we knew was definitely in our department. So Amelia released him. And then he attacked us. Not just him but a squad of them, appearing out of nowhere. If they had been dark wizards or...hell, anyone who weren't Aurors, I think Amelia wouldn't have she'd have held back but you know her…loyal to her brother Aurors and all that. But they weren't playing friendly. We were overwhelmed and captured."

Adam paused, blinking slowly and taking deep breaths. "We were interrogated under the supervision of an Auror but supported by unknown others. They utilised physical beatings and the cruciatus curse. Mostly on my cousin, trying to get information out of her. They mostly kept me alive to ensure her good behaviour so she didn't do anything stupid. And then she did..."

He paused again, swallowing hard at the memory. "She managed to break free and then blasted my bonds apart. She ordered me to get out and call for help. I got out the door and away just as they managed to subdue her again. It seems we were held in the basement of the abandoned Auror training facility south of the river. They chased me since then and...well, you know."

"Alaric. Take care of Adam. Get him to meet up at Origin and try and recall as many of Zodiac as you can there. I'm going to get Amelia back from those bastards. I'll meet up with you later." There was more running and one of the men disappeared, grey raincoat flying out behind him as he rounded a corner and vanished from sight. Adam looked around at the one who remained behind. "Alaric...Ravenor? I thought you were dead..."

"Yeah well... I reckon I'll be hearing that a lot these days."

"So you're not dead then?"

"Not last time I checked."

"Oh... Well...glad to have you back anyway then."

"...Thanks"

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"Still nothing to tell us, bitch?" The voice was harsh in the cold isolated cell. Amelia McFarlin inclined her head to look over her interrogator as he paced back and forth before her, idly spinning a heavy wooden truncheon in his hands. Without warning, he lashed out, a heavy blow to her stomach that drove the wind from her lungs and sent waves of agony through her already beaten body.

Blood ran down her face, plastering her dark hair to her brow and obscuring her vision in the chamber, blank stone walls illuminated by burning torches held in brackets all around her. She was held by heavy manacles attached to her wrists, pulled wide so that she hung by her arms, spread-eagled. How long she'd been there, she couldn't remember though several hours had passed for certain; several hours in which she had been subjected to torture both by magical means of the cruciatus curse and physical beatings.

They asked over and over again. They wanted the names of the other members of Zodiac unit. They wanted their current locations, their bases of operations, their strengths, weaknesses. They wanted anything they could extract from her to capture her comrades. But despite the torment they put her through, she refused to say a thing. Resisting interrogation had been an integral part of their training but even then, the idea of betraying her repulsed her. What would Valius think of her if she gave in…?

"You really are a stubborn bitch, aren't you?" Her interrogator was in front of her, his hot, stinking breath on her face as he held her chin and forced her to look at him. He wore the uniform of an Auror. He was an Auror. She was being tortured by another Auror; the sheer madness of the situation unbelievable to her. She knew that new leadership of the Aurors meant there would be changes in opinions, new reforms…but this… Around the small chamber, six other men stood back, watching, almost…enjoying her agony. There was hate in their eyes and a desire to see her hurt. They weren't Aurors but seemed to be working for the interrogator.

Amelia remained silent, staring back at her interrogator with dead eyes. They would get nothing from her, no matter what they did. He seemed to have reached the same result, smacking her hard across the face as he turned away. "Hmm… Well if you're going to uncooperative, we might as well have some fun with you for the trouble you've given us. Then we'll kill you. How's that sound?"

Before, Amelia could react, her interrogator spun around, gripping a fistful of her robes and tearing them aside. The other men around the chamber stared looking more interested, advancing closer as her naked body became exposed to them. She knew what was coming now… The Zodiacs had all been exposed to physical and mental interrogation but she had never been prepared for something like this. She wanted to just close her eyes and wait for it all to be over but she couldn't, could only keep staring at the man before her as he drew closer. Then the lights went out. In one, the torches went out and blackness filled the chamber. She could feel death in the air.

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Valius had been making short jumps through the corridors of magic to speed up his journey and finally he was there; the old abandoned training facility. He'd swiftly descended unto the basement, following his senses until he reached the long corridor he had seen in Adam's mind while the younger Auror talked. The sounds from within the chamber reached his ears, echoing off the stone walls as he sprinted towards there; a vengeful spirit making no sound as he advanced. He was wrapped in black robes to better infiltrate unseen. His hood was pulled up to cover his face.

His pace increased as he drew nearer. He could hear her now. Hear Amelia's suppressed cries of pain and Valius' fury carried him the last several metres to his destination, one boot smashing the bolted door off its hinges as the lights went out at a click of his fingers. Why he'd taken so long, he didn't know. Every moment he wasted, she was suffering at their hands.

His wand was holstered. He didn't want traces of his magic to be found here…and it was more satisfying to use a blade. The knife slid from its sheath as he advanced into the torture cell with great violence in mind. They had taken great pleasure in hurting Amelia and now they were going to suffer for their actions.

The two door guards were the first to die, the nearest having his head wrenched around hard with a loud snapping like broken twigs. The other began stumbling around in the dark and tripped. Valius slipped in, slicing open his femoral artery and shoving him aside, and leaving him to slowly bleed to death by the open doorway. His screams reverberated around walls designed to re-echo the screams as the other Aurors started, looking around frantically to try and locate their unseen intruder. One by one, Valius moved through the blackness, killing and killing, their presences burning silhouettes in his vision.

The next took his blade through the heart and slashed open the man's throat next to him. Spells fired blindly bathed the cell in red light. Shouts rose as they caught sight of Valius before he disappeared into the shadows again. There was a dull thud as another body dropped to the floor, his throat slit. Valius could sense a wand aimed at his back and reacted automatically, letting fly with his blade that shot through the air like lightning, cleaving the wand in half and burying itself in the owner's skull. With a faint gasp, he dropped dead too.

The interrogator was last. His wand flared with light…to reveal death. Cloaked in black, the faceless man drew back his hand and drove it into the interrogator's chest. Flesh and bone gave way as the black mailed gauntlet reached within and ripped out his heart, held beating before him before his body gave out and he slumped to the stone beneath, blood gathering in a pool around him. Blood pounded in his skull as he fought down the urge to do more, to punish the man more for what he'd done. No...Amelia needed him. Drawing back his hood, Valius tossed the organ aside as he reignited the torches around the walls and hurried to release Amelia.

She collapsed into his arms and he cradled her close to his body, shrugging off his robes to wrap around her body. Amelia McFarlin was a battle-hardened soldier, feline-like form covered in old healed-over scars and wounds but despite that, at that moment, she looked so fragile as she lay slumped in his arms. She moaned as she stirred, looking up into his face, wide eyes seeing through the masking spell. Her hand reached up to touch his face, feeling the scarred flesh behind the blurred illusion. "Val...?"

"I'm here, Amelia. Don't worry. I've got you now." He had to get her out of here. Back to Origin. Carefully as possible, he pulled her arms over his shoulders and slipped his arms under her legs. Pausing only to wrench his knife out of a skull and sheath it, he braced his legs and stood, carrying her on his back. She moaned again but kept her protests down as best she could. Valius started to run, second sight compensating for the poor lighting as he sprinted through the dark corridors towards the exit.

"I knew you'd come for me, Val..." Her voice was hushed, a whisper in his ear. "I didn't believe you were dead, even when I saw the body... But I knew that even death wouldn't stop you from saving me." Her face was buried in his back and her hands gripping tight to his robes. "You aren't dead, are you, Val? You don't feel like a spirit."

He laughed. "No, Amelia. I'm very much alive. Don't you worry about that..."


	4. Changing Times

_Just a small mention but special thanks to my friend, Nicceh, with whom I run by the majority of my plot points and that sorta...stuff. XD And also thanks to the people who have taken the time to read and comment so far.  
_

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Elyssia stretched out on the training bench, resting her hands behind her head and closing her eyes with a satisfied sigh. She had just finished her training session and had drained two bottles of water to cool herself down, one down her throat, the other down her clothes, pulling them taut against her skin. There were the sounds of fighting all around her but they had been there all day and she was able to tune them out as she tried to get some brief shut eye. The twins could take care of the others.

A few weeks after having delivered their message, Aurelia and Alexia Kys had returned to the Ravenor estate and informed Elyssia that their commanding officer had ordered them to stick around and help train the other Ravenors in combat. Elyssia could teach them basic hand-to-hand combat and both offensive and defensive magic but the two other girls knew how to instruct them how to use them most effectively and take their existing skills to even higher levels of destructivity.

Even Elyssia had been an attentive student, as they showed them finer details of combat, how to combine magic and physical attacks, how to use their surroundings to their advantage and various other tricks to ensure they were the ones who emerged from a fight to death, rather than the other side. And for all their skills, they never failed to remind their students that they were only amateurs compared to the likes of Valius and Alaric in the unit.

Val and Aly, they liked to call them sometimes; cute nicknames for the some of the most efficient killers to have served the Ministry. Val was what Elyssia used to call her twin brother, since when they were both young, just learning to talk. She missed him so much it hurt. The pain had lessened slightly over the months and she could smile again. It was just at the nights when she lay there and looked out over the night sky, that she wondered whether if she'd known, had Val's foresight, whether she could have stopped Val and Alaric. She doubted it. Even if they had known, they'd still have gone about doing their duty. It was their life.

Was this all those two had dedicated years without end to? To become the greatest at fighting and killing? The Kys twins tried to not talk too much about their past operations but Elyssia could tell they had seen a lot of death in their time…and that was only a fraction of what her brother and little cousin had seen. Their world was something entirely removed from the one normal members of the wizarding world inhabited, one they endured to make it safe for witches and wizards to sleep safely at night, one filled with death and suspicion and darkness. It was one she had no wish to live in.

But watching the two members of the black ops assassination unit, Elyssia could never have guessed their darker background. They acted like…well, typical girls in their twenties. They laughed and joked. They looked after their appearance to a point of obsession. One of them flirted excessively with Regina and received equal interest back, much to Elyssia's surprise. Well…whatever did it for her. The others had no trouble living around them, accepting them as part of the Ravenor clan smoothly. Alexius and Briareos, the two new Auror initiates, took to sparring as frequently as possible against Aurelia. Alexia, her other half, handled Sasha and Regina, teaching them the art of combat as best she could.

When the others were resting, usually in the very early hours of the morning, Elyssia trained with the Kys twins alone. Though she had none of the intensive and spirit-deadening training of the two but she was Valius' other half and her raw innate abilities made her learn at an accelerated rate. Her combat abilities had increased tenfold in the time she had become their pupil. They worked for a few hours, had a break, did a few more hours and then went about the normal business of the day. Elyssia was exhausted, both in mind and body, every night. But Val had lived this,

There was a crash and Elyssia's eyes snapped open in time to see Briareos flying through the air, coming down where she was lying. She rolled fast, sliding off the bench as her younger cousin flashed past and broke the bench on his way down. At the other end of the training hall, Alexius was trying to drag himself out of the remains of a weapon rack where Aurelia had sent him flying with a wave of her wand. The girl was spinning her wand between her fingers, grinning as her training partners staggered back over to her. Oh, she was good. There was no doubt about that.

At the other end of the hall, Alexia was grappling with Regina on the ground. The objective was to gain the upper hand and find an opening to throw off the opponent and then finish them off with wand or blade. Regina, straddled by Alexia and pinned there, was struggling but seemed to not mind being under there.

Still, she tried, reaching around and seizing her opponent's forearms, trying to wrestle them aside to displace her balance. Rising on to the balls of her feet, she thrust her hips up, forcing Alexia's weight off her. Even as she did this, she started to turn, moving to throw her off and follow through so she'd be the one on top. It was almost working when Alexia countered, using the momentum to force them a whole 360 rotation so she was back on top. She tossed her curtain of dark hair back off her face, nose to nose with Regina. "Tough luck, Regina", she said, grinning.

Regina returned the grin, waiting a moment and then reaching her arms around to pull Alexia into a deep, long kiss. Sasha, sitting on the side, raised her eyebrows and averted her gaze, whistling nonchalantly. The Ravenor brothers stared, transfixed by seeing what their older cousin was doing. Even as she broke the kiss, Regina struck, thrusting up again with her hips and levering Alexia up and over so their positions were reversed. The Zodiac was still grinning. "You learn fast…"

"Right… Okay." Elyssia didn't really want to watch that anymore and didn't think it did Briareos and Alexius' dirty male minds needed to see more. So she summoned another bottle of cold water from the fridge and proceeded to emptying it over the two girls before stepped up their game. She moved to go over to where Sasha sat, the only sane person in the room, but she had already disappeared. Some minutes later, Elyssia heard her coming down the stairs and hurried out to see where she'd got to. Well the twins could deal with the other three.

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"And where are you going, Sasha?" Elyssia caught her at the bottom of the stairs, coming down, fully showered and changed in record time. She looked like she was going out somewhere

"Out. I told you. I'm going to go see a friend."

"Just a friend…?" Elyssia raised her eyebrow. "This Nate Cullen guy? Cullen? Like one of those characters from those novels the muggles are all hopping about. He's not a vampire, is he?"

"Her boyfriend!" Regina's voice drifted in from the other room.

"Shut your face, Regina!" Sasha snapped back, flicking her wand at the door and causing it to slam shut, banging off its hinges. She kicked it for good measure before starting for the front door. Hand on the latch, she turned back to Elyssia. "And no, he's a human, so stop worrying. You're not coming with me, you know."

"Yes I bloody well am, Sasha. If you think I'm going to let you head out at a time like this on your own then you're dreaming." A flick of her wand and her coat flew into her hand. Pulling the denim material tight around her body, Elyssia had just enough time to seize her cousin's wrist before the younger Ravenor disapparated and she was jerked along with her, flying through the corridors of magic to wherever Sasha was going on her…date. Aw…her little cousin was all grown up.

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Elyssia sat at her table, sipping her drink with a straw at one of the small cafes along Diagon Alley. She was several places away from where Sasha sat with some cute looking guy. This Nate Cullen guy. Tall, dark hair, well built... Sasha had gone to school with him and now he seemed to want to renew the...'friendship' they had. They were talking quietly to each other, heads close together as they spoke, her little cousin doing a good job of ignoring her presence there, even though she was well aware of it. Elyssia chuckled to herself, imagining how annoying she must be at that moment. She did love to do that from time to time.

The whole time, her eyes roved from side to side, searching the streets for any approaching threats. It was her job to look after her cousin, after all. She thought the problem would be trying to spot trouble from between the crowds of people, discerning enemies from civilians. The only thing was that there seemed to be a lack of well...everything. There seemed to be no one around, except for a few stray people hurrying from building to building without remaining out in the open for too long. There was an air of...fear about the place. That was a first for Diagon Alley; the place bustling with nearly every store a witch or wizard could ask for.

The waiter came over to refill her drink and she flashed him her charming smile that had stolen more than a few hearts in her carefree younger days. She was not amused when the waiter hurried about his task and disappeared again, all but ignoring her. 'Hmpf...must be gay', she mused to herself. Or maybe he seemed to be just as afraid of some unknown something as the rest of Diagon Alley. Aside from Nate and Sasha, no one else appeared who didn't look like they were about to shit themselves when they caught sight of another living being. Seriously...what the fuck was going on here...?

There was a flurry of movement and Elyssia looked around, hand drifting unconsciously into her robes. A group of men had appeared, standing by the table where Nate and Sasha sat. They seemed to have missed her and were focussed entirely on the couple. There were six of them, five black robed wizards who all but glowed with dark energy...and an Auror leading them. Not following them, not moving as their captive…leading them, working with them. This was either a really bad dream or…well. It was just bad. That was a poor choice in Elyssia's mind. She edged slightly closer.

They seemed to be giving the pair some trouble. There were raised voices as the couple realised they had company. One of the dark wizards made to reach for Sasha but Nate was on his feet, smacking the man's hand away. The others stepped back, drawing wands. This looked bad. There were running feet. The café workers were running for cover and hiding. Smart people… There were flashes as both sides reacted fast, spells blasting two of the dark wizards and tossing Sasha in to Nate as a weakened spell struck her in the chest. The two flew back, crumpling in a heap, one on to of the other. The others were closing in, wands pointed.

Elyssia had her wand drawn and aimed but before she could act, there was another black blur as another figure joined the fray. A flick of the wrist and one of the dark wizards dropped, his neck at a wrong angle. A ball of light engulfed the group and men were hurled left and right by the eruption as the air became superheated in a split-second. Elyssia glanced around, looking for this new arrival. Another dark figure. Why were there so many these days? Everyone was dark and all that. The smoke rippled away, revealing a robed figure standing there over Nate and Sasha, who were untangling themselves.

He resembled an older Nate Cullen except more frown lines and more roughly-built. His face was twisted in a smirk as he kicked on of the men at his feet, knocking him over before lashing out at another. He seized a fistful of Nate's robes and hauled him to his feet forcefully. "Get out of here right now." When the guy didn't immediately react, the man repeated his command. "Nathaniel Ishval. Move your ass right now!"

"Ishval?!" The Auror, staggering to his feet, stared wildly at the newcomer, eyes wide. The man's smirk widened. He opened a hand and the Auror was engulfed in flames, tumbling away, shrieking as the flames consumed him. But the name had caught the attention of the three remaining dark wizards standing. Their assumed leader staggered back away, tripping over the dead body of his comrade as he saw the man's face properly. "Sephariel?"

"Get the others, now!" The two dark wizards backing him up started to disapparate. One caught a flaming bolt of energy, burning a hole through his chest and sending his body tumbling to the stone pathway. The other disappeared, leaving their leader alone. He raised his wand but his spell was immediately parried. So was the next. Before a third curse could escape his lips, his head disappeared in a gout of flame and he fell, twitching to the floor.

"What the…" Elyssia skidded to a halt next to Sasha, dragging her to her feet. The other girl was looking at Nate, a confused expression on her face. Nate was refusing to look at her and his…brother was glancing up and down the street, wand ready. He ignored the wand Elyssia aimed at the side of his head. Ishval… She knew that name from Valius. Matariel Ishval, his former comrade in arms who had blinded him. The Ishval clan, an old wizarding family since turned to the dark arts, appearing from time to time, seemingly pursuing their own objectives. And Nate…Nathaniel Ishval was the youngest brother of that clan. No wonder he had gone under an alias…but for what reason? To get to Sasha?

She was about to say something to the effect of 'drop that wand' when Sasha seized her robes and dragged her back as a flurry of spells punched through the air where her head had been and gouged deep chunks out of the rock wall behind her. More men materialising, running at them both sides of the street. This was bad. Elyssia grabbed a fistful of Sasha's robes. Time to disapparate. She closed her eyes and…nothing. Elyssia leapt aside at the last moment as another flurry of spells showered her in powdered granite.

"You think it'd still be here if I could do that, woman." The man's voice was condescending as he unleashed a hail of spells that sent both Aurors and black robed wizards diving for cover. Nate had joined him, aiming and taking down their enemies coming from the other direction. The four had backed up into the café itself, sheltering behind upturned tables. Sasha was shying away from Nate but otherwise had her wand out, fighting back. Despite that, there seemed to still be plenty more enemies to beat down, coming closer every second. "We have to wait for my brother to breach the magical shielding around us."

From within, there was a flare of green flames. Two more people arrived at the scene, emerging from the fireplace; a man and woman, both bearing some genetic resemblance to the two Ishvals fighting alongside the Ravenors. These people, Elyssia definitely knew. It would really have been a great time for Valius to be here right now. The twins of the Ishval clan; Matariel and Eva Ishval, the most powerful of the surviving family members, similar to the way Valius and Elyssia had been in the Ravenor clan, had arrived.

Matariel emerged from the café entrance, ignoring the spells, which seemed to curl around him as they approached to avoid him. He slashed his wand around in an arc, a blue shockwave expanding out and bisecting the men caught in its grasp. Elyssia stepped back away from the Ishvals, dragging Sasha with her. She felt fear, watching this raw display of power as more bodies began to hit the street. She held her cousin close to her, shielding her with her body and deflecting spells that came their way.

"Eva. Get them out of here. Sephariel. Cover their retreat." Matariel spoke, his voice low and commanding, compelling his siblings to act. They sprung in to action immediately, Eva grabbing her younger brother, Nathaniel, and all but hurling him towards the fireplace. Then she moved towards Elyssia and Sasha, hand outstretched. "Don't cause more trouble than we need, Elyssia Ravenor. Come with me if you want to live. Now."

"You must be fucking insane, woman." Elyssia thought the other woman was about to attack them but at that moment, the glass of the café exploded, showering them in fragments. A body fell in the doorway. Sephariel Ishval lay dying, where he'd been guarding the retreat. A large hole as big as Elyssia's fist had been burned through his chest and his eyes were staring blankly up at the ceiling. Eva's movements towards them stopped as she regarded her dead brother with wide eyes. Elyssia started moving Sasha away from the others, deeper in to the café.

There was a ripple of energy and the hairs on the back of Elyssia's neck stood on end as Matariel advanced out in to the storm of magic flashing towards the café. She could…taste his anger, an unbridled fury unleashed with the death of Sephariel. He wanted to kill them all. What the hell was he thinking, walking out in to the open.

Elyssia didn't even know why she started towards Matariel but before she moved two steps, an arm locked around her throat and a cloud of gas erupted in her face. Her vision instantly began to dim, all feeling in her body vanishing in an instant. What was happening to her? "Eva. Get those girls out of here right now. Don't you dare stop to help me." Matariel's voice barked out again.

She heard Sasha yelp in surprise and then a roar of the fireplace. Faintly, she saw the entrance of the café receding as she was dragged backwards towards the fire. Green light blazed in her peripheral vision. Eva carried her right to the edge and then, with one stride, they plunged into the flames and the sensation of floo powder travel overtook Elyssia as she was wrenched out of Diagon Alley, shooting through the corridors of magic.

Then she came to rest, lying on a hard wooden floor, dark interior and shadows hanging all around the place. She heard Eva speak from above her. "Welcome to our home, Elyssia Ravenor."

Their home… The home of the Ishvals. The home of the Ravenors' greatest enemies. Elyssia could make out more figures moving around, coming down a staircase to gather around her and Sasha. "Shit…" Then she blacked out and darkness took her.


	5. Revelations

They were here finally. Origin. Where it had all started for them. They had no idea what this place was really called so they just called it Origin and it had become both the name and code word for this iron-grey fortress, set into the side of a mountain in an isolated and remote region, devoid of all life but for the returning members of Zodiac unit. No one came here, both because there was no reason for them to and because no one could find it. It had been the perfect training ground to break the fifty candidates through the trials and training until only the thirteen strongest, most skilled and enduring Aurors remained. And now it was the perfect meeting place for them to gather again.

The Zodiac unit, the code name given to the thirteen Aurors, was created by order of the last Minister of Magic, Claire Vindictus. Devoid of the standard chain of command, falling under the sole control of Valius Ravenor, they were tasked with the assassinations and special operations that couldn't be done on the record, taking out dark wizards lurking among the populace, unreachable by the politics and wealth of the higher ups in the wizarding world, neutralising leaders of dark wizarding covens before they could gain power. They were the ultimate soldiers, trained to kill without hesitation using blades, dark magic or whatever it took to overcome the enemy, unmatched in their combat abilities.

But their training was not without a price. They had all lost so many comrades, close friends killed on exercises. They were heavily battle-traumatised and often sunk in to deep depressions when not given tasks to do. Their methods were viewed with both distaste and disgust by other Aurors. Falsely cheerful and carefree facades covered for dark, bitter moods and deep suspicion for others who weren't one of them, even their fellow Aurors. It seemed to be a suspicion proven right now...

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Kesian Grifen was the first one to respond to the call to return to Origin. His short grey-streaked hair whipped around his eyes as he marched up the rocky pathway leading to the fortress. The Third commander of Zodiac unit hadn't wanted to believe that the First and Second commanders, Valius and Alaric, had died, but as the months dragged on, he had begun to accept the inevitable. But then the call had come out, the magical energies marked with the unmistakeable traces of Alaric within it. He'd wasted no time in making his way here, returning to where it all began.

He was very healthy for his late forties, still built just as well as the day he had become an Auror twenty something years ago but he was starting to feel each of those years now. He paused, sitting on a rock that stood on the side of the path leading up to the fortress. It loomed over him, a vivid reminder of the training they had all gone through to become the soldiers they were now. Even the skies never changed around here, always storm grey and overcast.

Then they arrived; Zodiac unit, one by one emerging from the mists that hung heavy upon the region. Kairi Saito, recon specialist, always first in on an operation, arrived first, lithe form materialising like smoke to stand by Kesian with a careless salute. A flurry of brunette and their chief medic, Alicia O'Hara appeared next to her, dropping herself down onto a makeshift seat alongside Kairi, arranging her robes carefully around her. Her eyes shifted left and right, searching no doubt for Valius. She had been one of his closest unit members and had not been in great mental state until a few hours ago when the call had gone out.

Then there was Glaedr Pendragon, the woman who'd been stationed at Hogwarts school to act as safeguard lest the students came under attack, looking like she'd just rushed from an astronomy class in a hurry. After her came the weathered figure of their intel gatherer, Harlon Santaro, cloaked in black robes like shadows. It reflected his nature well. It reflected all their natures well.

The three heavy supporting warriors, Samuval Hauvlon, Ulrek Hayl and Tereus Dvorn came together, dragging a fourth, blindfolded figure among them. Heavy set and built like iron, those three were the ones the unit brought in when weight of magic power was needed more than stealth. Ulrek tossed their prisoner roughly on the ground, one boot in their back so they couldn't rise. The other two stood back, leaning against a rock, arms folded, heads bowed in identical poses.

And then they arrived... Kesian was on his feet before the others, watching silently as they emerged from the mists, the dead returned to life. Alaric and Valius Ravenor. A slow measured pace brought them to a halt in the middle of the gathered circle. The latter paused to kneel, depositing the unconscious form of Amelia McFarlin on the ground before him. "Alicia? Please attend to Amelia now."

"Yes, sir!" The medic snapped to do her duties without hesitation, dropping down and starting to check their wounded comrade over. With the spell of their reappearance broken, the others rushed forward to welcome them back. Zodiac unit was restored.

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"So...what's the situation, Kesian? What's the general overview of Ministry's position?" The unit had moved inside, sitting around the briefing chamber within the heart of the fortress. Valius, now returned as the overall commander of Zodiac unit, sat at the head of the table, hands steepled together as he regarded them all with sightless eyes. They were all here now, excluding the Kys twins, though they were guarding Elyssia and the others. And enjoying it too, from the sounds of it. Those two...

"As of 0000 hours, exactly a week ago, Janos Corvin and Kain Octavis were appointed Minister for Magic and Head of the Aurors respectively. This was following the disappearance and subsequent murder of both assumed successors, Jaq Wessel and Niklos Haken. Based on your investigation, it would seem that this was not the work of dark wizards but Aurors."

"These could have been rogue elements...or they could have been working for the new Auror commander. I wouldn't put it past that bastard, Octavis, to do whatever it took to gain power. His family have a history of leading that department and he was so very pissed when Alaric took the job."

"Anyway...since Octavis took over, there has been a sharp rise in dark wizarding activity. The number of raids and crackdowns are lower. It's like he's not even trying to contain them anymore. You'd think people would complain but...people who oppose him seem to keep disappearing; victims of dark wizards or something." Kesian paused, long enough for the other Zodiacs to growl their disapproval. Valius and Alaric were silent, listening.

"I'd find it hard to believe the entire Auror department would have fallen under the sway of Octavis. But if the main commanders were all replaced by their own and they had loyalists placed throughout the whole chain of command..." There were more sounds of thought. Valius gestured to the one person sitting around the table who was looking as out of place as possible.

Adam McFarlin shifted around on his seat normally occupied by his cousin. She was still resting from her injuries in the side chamber. Adam stood, suddenly aware of the eyes of the others on him. He settled for standing at ease, hands behind his back and staring straight ahead lest his gaze met any of the others.

"A lot has changed since Octavis took over the Auror department. There has always been a division among the Aurors, between those who were loyal to Alaric's command and those who resented him being their leader. They gravitated towards Octavis, along with those who were already his close allies. They are in charge now effectively, both at command and squad level."

"The ones who were firmly in opposition to them taking over had a habit of running in to dark wizards on their own very soon after. The less vocal ones are under orders to remain within the Ministry building under constant surveillance. When they go home, they're usually being tailed then, every movement watched. It's how they found me and Amelia so quickly. I didn't realise they were after my cousin but it would seem they are after the members of Zodiac unit now, trying to take out the closest followers of Alaric and Valius."

Adam paused, finished and sat down. There were rumble among the others until Valius waved a hand and they were quiet. "Thank you, Adam. Does anyone else have something to add about this? Glaedr. You look like you have something to add."

"Not that I'd like to, Valius. It's hardly pleasant news. I just wanted to add to what Kesian and Adam have said so far from contacts I still have in the Ministry. Unlike the others here, I actually made a point to maintain them." She ignored the annoyed stares of some of the other Zodiacs, the majority who had had more difficulty ever re-integrating with the common Auror ranks. There was a frown on her face as she pondered her next words.

"The situation is worse than we originally anticipated. The Ministry is not just ignoring the activities of dark wizards. They're actively sanctioning their activities and working with them, deploying both their own loyalist Aurors alongside their dark wizards in exchange for...well, we don't know yet. Whatever it is, no one can really complain or they'll end up dead. The public is held under a tight fist of intimidation. Those that want to help can't and those that can help don't have any inclination to."

"With a large portion of the Aurors who still loyal to Alaric all but imprisoned, we're one of the main obstacles still remaining to unmatched control over the British wizarding population. And so they'll be after us next, sending everything they have to do so." Glaedr's voice was low and grave as she spoke, eyes unfocussed as she seemed to muse her own words over to herself.

"Well we're all pretty fucked then." There was bitter laughter at Tereus' words from the circle. He always did come out with those sorts of negative phrases that drew the callous amusement from the other Zodiacs. Only Glaedr and Alaric declined to join in, both with drawn expressions, staring blankly at the stone table before them. Adam was still trying to not be there, forcing a light chuckle so as not to draw attention to his silence.

"Alright. Enough of that. Ulrek, I'm assuming you have a good reason for bringing a stranger along here. Who is he?" Valius leaned back in his seat and the others did the same, all eyes now regarding the blindfolded prisoner, who was brought forward, restrained by the iron grips of Ulrek and Samuval.

"Right well...I know we now have both a large number of Aurors and unknown number of dark wizards on our asses. But I think we might have a slightly bigger problem to deal with that our dear Glaedr failed to find out about." The woman glared coldly at him but he continued, ignoring her. "Me and Samuval here were returning from an assignment on Kesian's command. Halfway back, we were attacked by some unknown assailants, numbering about ten. At first, we figured they wouldn't be a challenge but damn, they were harder bastards than I'd ever encountered."

Tereus cut in. "What he means is that, if I hadn't been nearby and moved to help them, those two would have been fucked. It was lucky that even us three together managed to bring them all down and capture one alive."

"And who is he?" Valius looked concerned now. Even ten Aurors shouldn't have given the three strongest troops of Zodiac unit that much trouble.

"He said he was a Sergeant Soren Raith of the 10th Auror Rangers, some company out of Fort Bragg in Texas."

"Americans? What the hell are they doing here?"

"The 10th?" Harlon spoke up again. As chief intel officer, he kept his ear out for this sort of miscellaneous information that could be an asset to the unit. "They're meant to be real hardasses. They're also meant to be all dead, eliminated in some past conflict over the other side of the pond and written off by the American Ministry."

"Well they're pretty dead now. Some of them anyway. But as our friend here, Soren, told us the rest of the company ain't very dead but they are very hired by our own Ministry to hunt down and eliminate the members of Zodiac unit as well as any prominent members of the Ministry who stick their nose into business that doesn't concern them." Ulrek shrugged. "Imagine that...using the wizarding people's tax paid galleons to keep them oppressed. Goddamn bloodsuckers..."

"But how the hell did you get him to talk? Like I said, the 10th are meant to be real hardasses, resistant to pain and all that crap. He wouldn't have just given up answers because you asked him politely." Harlon, still questioning, as per his nature.

Ulrek shrugged. "Hey... I'm just good at my job, alright?"

"Hmm..." The Zodiacs sat deep in thought as Valius mused over what orders to pass out. Having resumed command of the unit, it now fell solely to him as to what they would now. He opened his mouth to speak when there was a loud bang from the far end of the hall as the doors were flung open and a lone figure hurried in. Some of the Zodiacs spun in their seats, wands aimed but Valius waved them to stand down. Aurelia Kys came hurrying in to the hall, running flat out and coming to a half before him. Her eyes were wide and staring as she saw him standing before her, her words forgotten temporarily.

Breathing hard, she collapsed at his feet, kneeling with her head bowed. "Valius. I'm so sorry. I failed you." Her voice was low, half choked with repressed tears, either at the confirmation of her commander's survival or the failure of the task she and her twin had been assigned".

"Easy, Aurelia. Slow down and tell me what's happened? Is Elyssia alright?"

"Elyssia was captured, Valius. Both her and Sasha were taken while Alexia and I were protecting the others."

"Captured by who?" His voice was becoming hoarse. There were many things he could be callous about but when it concerned his family, especially his own twin, things became personal very quickly.

"It was the Ishvals. Matariel Ishval himself came. By the time we got there, a large part of Diagon Alley had been destroyed and the street was littered with bodies. No sign of Elyssia or Sasha though the cafe workers they were taken at said they were dragged off by them."

"Matariel..." Valius' blood ran cold. Of all the enemies she could possibly fall in to the hands of, Matariel's was the ones Valius most feared. Long ago, when they had both been just young, hopeful Auror cadets, they had been brothers in all but blood. Then had come the time when his personal interests had come into conflict with his duty and the life of the girl he loved had forced him to turn on the others of his team, Valius included. The betrayal had left Valius blinded and burned through to the core of his being a fiery passion which had led to them clashing countless times in battle, only to be prevented from finishing one another by some magical intervention.

It had been a long time since Valius could truly claim to know Matariel and what he was capable of now… And Elyssia, his dear twin sister, Elyssia, at the mercy of his greatest nemesis. He had to act now. He had to save her.

"Kairi. I know tracking is usually Amelia's job but she's out of commission at the moment and I have confidence that you'll be able to find them." It took an effort to keep his voice steady. Alaric was more withdrawn than ever. He wasn't very emotional on the surface but he truly cared for his little sister deep down and was shaken at the possibility of what could have happened to her. "When you find either the Ishvals or Elyssia or Sasha, contact me and we'll move in. Don't make a move on your own."

"Yes sir." A salute and Kairi was gone, vanishing into the blackness of the fortress like a shadow. When she was gone there was silence. The other Zodiacs were looking uncomfortable, all reading the subtlest emotions off their leader and not wanting to be the next one to speak to him. Only Adam was less attuned to Valius' moods that he misread the commander's sudden inaction in the wake of the news that Elyssia and Sasha was in danger. Adam had had a close relationship with Sasha at Hogwarts apparently, according to a talk with Elyssia a long time ago.

Adam was on his feet, moving towards Valius, hands clenched into fists. "What the hell… Are you all just going to sit here now and wait around doing nothing? Sasha could be in danger. They could be doing anything to her and you only sent one person to find them all. I thought you actually gave a damn about her and Elyssia. You have command of one of the most elite Auror units ever to exist who would do what you want at the snap of your fingers. Clearly I was wrong if that is the best you can do to save them."

The young Auror was about to say more but he suddenly didn't have the breath to. He was lifted off his feet and slammed down hard on the stone table. Valius' fist was clamped around his throat, tightening slowly, squeezing the life out of him. Tereus and Samuval were on their feet, moving to pull Valius off Adam but they couldn't move him, wrench his hands away from Adam's throat.

"Listen closely, Adam McFarlin, before you black out. For over three years, I've been trying to hunt down Matariel Ishval. I've lost many Aurors in the attempt and come close to death more than once. Chasing the Ishvals is like trying to pin down shadows. Every one of the unit has tried to find even a trace of them but only Amelia and Kairi ever came close.

His fist tightened another fraction. "On top of that, we have Ministry Aurors, dark wizards and now ex-special forces mercenaries all gunning to kill us. We cannot afford to spread out thinly in a wide search attempt without risking being picked off one by one. If what Ulrek says is true, we will be picked off one by one by these Rangers if we split up.

Adam was turning white, his body's struggles weakening as he started running out of oxygen. "Every one of us today is alive because we learnt to think with our head before our hearts. If we ran around following our first thought and desire, we would be dead long ago. I love Elyssia more than anything in this world and would gladly give up my life to save hers. Sasha too. But I will not throw away the lives of my soldiers on a whim."

Valius' grip relaxed and he stepped back, shaking off the hands of Tereus and Samuval. Alicia quickly hurried to check Adam over. He seemed to have blacked out straight away when he'd been released. "He'll be alright. Given him a bit and he'll come around." Valius nodded, silent.

"Valius…?" There was a whisper in his ear. Kairi's voice, speaking through the ethers of magic. "There are troops moving towards your position. Around a hundred men, broken in to teams of ten. They're professionals. I almost missed them on the way out. They're probably with this mercenary company Ulrek was telling us about. What should I do?

"Shit…" Valius whipped around, gaze snapping around to stare at prisoner at Ulrek's feet. There was a silent smirk on his face. Somehow, he'd managed to free his hands and leapt to his feet. Ulrek moved to stop him but was struck aside by a magic-strengthened blow that sent him flying. The ranger turned to face Valius and raised his hands, glowing with energy. Before he could unleash the attack, there was a blur as Aurelia vaulted across the table and ripped out the man's throat with her hands.

In the distance, there were explosions as the first intruders began encountering the fortress's traps. They had to start acting now. Firstly… "Kairi. Keep going and fulfil your mission. It takes utmost priority at the moment." He turned his attention to the rest of the unit, who were looking at him expectantly. "The rest of us will hold our positions here. Establish a two-layer perimeter with sufficient falling-back ground. Kesian will organise you in to teams."

Valius drew his sword from across his back, the metal sheen blazing with cold magical energies. Alaric had done the same while the others drew wands and knives. Despite the situation, a faint smile crept to his lips. This was how it had always been; fighting side by side with the men and women of Zodiac unit against almost insurmountable odds. Back in the beginning, here at the origin of their creation. It was good to be back…


	6. Duty and Honour

Elyssia gave a groan as she came around. Her last memories of consciousness were a blur, a swirling kaleidoscope of colours and images all mixed together in her mind. It had been peaceful at first, Sasha was having a private drink and talk with that guy, Nate. It was all quiet, not a soul around, almost as if everyone was in hiding. And then all hell had broken loose. Assailants. Aurors...and dark wizards. Working together. And then the crazy got still more so as help arrived in the form of Valius' nemesis and one of the darkest wizards to have ever plagued the Ministry, Matariel Ishval. More fighting, fighting alongside members of the Ishval family against a small army as Diagon Alley became a war zone. She'd done her best to protect Sasha before she'd suddenly lost consciousness...and woken up here. But where was she...?

Shit...that was it. They had been brought to the Ishval home...and she was pinned to a wall, wrists bolted above her head by metal clamps. Her long dark hair fell across her face, sweat plastering it to her face. She shook her head to clear her vision and looked around her surroundings. She was in a cell, unpainted walls and only a rusted door with a barred window to stand out from the otherwise bleak interior. Well this was uncomfortable, to say the least. It wasn't that Elyssia had never been handcuffed or pinned to a wall before but that was for entertainment. And she had a headache from whatever was used to knock her out this time around.

Now where the hell was Sasha? Was she safe? She seemed to trust 'Nate' but it seemed that not even his name had been real. He was no Nate Cullen but Nathaniel Ishval, youngest brother of Matariel Ishval. They couldn't trust any of them and Sasha was...vulnerable. Anything could be happening to her. Elyssia had to get out of here and find out if she was okay or not. If she could just get her hands loose, slide them out of the restraints...

The door creaked open on ill-maintained hinges and more light filtered in to the darkly lit cell. A woman entered, walking carefully in, thumbs hooked at her belt. She was tall and slim, wearing black pants and shirt pulled tight across her chest. Her hair was almost identical to her own, dark locks falling past her shoulders to the small of her back. She was...very attractive and Elyssia might have been interested herself had she not been aware of her identity. Eva Ishval offered her a charming smirk as she approached.

"Elyssia Ravenor. It's a pleasure to meet you at last. I've heard so much about you and was wondering if we'd ever actually meet." The woman's slow pace brought her face to face with Elyssia. She studied her face, eyes scanning back and forth until her gaze met Elyssia's. Her smirk widened slightly.

"Yes. A...pleasure, Eva Ishval. It'd be slightly more pleasurable if I wasn't so tied up." Elyssia paused to ponder that one before returning to glare at the woman holding her captive. "Alright...enough of this crap. Where's my cousin? If she's been harmed, these restraints ain't going to hold me long. And your brother, Nate... If he's touched her, I'm gonna rip his b..."

"Easy, baby. We don't want you to hurt your wrists by struggling too much." Eva held up her hands to try and deter Elyssia from trying to wrench herself free from the wall. "If you must know, your cousin, Sasha, really nice girl, is upstairs in the library. Probably pouring over some of the books Matariel's gathered over the years. Perfectly safe and unharmed. And as for little Nate... He's mostly harmless next to my other brothers. Disappointing to Matariel... But besides he's infatuated with your cousin. She's completely safe with him."

"Right well... If things are so positive between us and you then maybe you could let me down from here? If Sasha's allowed to go wandering around this place of her own free will then how come I ended up shackled to a wall? And why the hell do you even have shackles here at all?"

"Well...my dear twin brother thought that when you came around you might do something stupid if left unbound. I get the strange feeling that he's right in this case. Sasha's a bit less wild, we've heard." A grin spread across Eva's face as she considered Elyssia's suspended figure. "As for why we have shackles well... They come in handy now and then."

"Think you can let me down then? If I promise to behave?"

Eva seemed to think for a few moments and then nodded. "Alright. Well if you cause trouble I will have to punish you, bear in mind." She made a whipping sound with her mouth before unlocking the shackles, releasing Elyssia. As Elyssia fell, she caught her and steadied her as she regained her feet. The Ravenor woman rubbed her wrists and ran a hand through her dirty hair. The Ishval woman stepped back and gestured to the door. "Shall we?"

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The two women walked side by side as Eva gave her the tour of the Ishval domain. It was as large as the Ravenor place and had the same sort of...aura about it; ancient power and high security, a family constantly at war with others in the wizarding world. As Elyssia watched the Ishval family going about their business, it struck her how...similar they were to the Ravenors. The relationship between its members were just as strong and close, their bearings just as confident and proud of their heritage. And they were just as powerful...or more so, having delved into the dark arts to seek greater strength.

In the training hall, two of the Ishval brothers were fighting, hand to hand combat, no punches pulled. As they watched, one struck the other across the face, the sound of the impact resounding off the walls. The wounded one whipped around on his foot, lashing out with his boot on the rebound and catching the first in the ribs, throwing him aside. Both were stripped to the waist, wearing only black pants and boots, their muscled torsos marked by scars and bruises.

"Sachiel and Bardiel. Our youngest brothers other than little Nathaniel." Eva explained, not really watching their combat display, sparring back and forth and trading vicious blows that looked like they could take a man's head off if they landed completely. She led Elyssia onwards, leaving the sounds of conflict behind as the door snapped shut.

As they crossed a landing, Elyssia looked down to see the man, Sephariel, lying on a stone slab inscribed with writing. The hole burned through his chest was concealed, a white cloth wrapped around his body. He had died helping...her and Sasha. Maybe not intentionally but she couldn't help feel remorse about his death. Even if he was...the enemy.

"Sephariel...my little brother, Seph." Eva's voice was low as she spoke, a whisper as she looked down at his body. Her flirtatious mask slipped for a moment as she stood there in silence, an aura of grief radiating off her before she clamped down on it, hid it again. "He was meant to be following Nate, make sure he kept safe. My brothers may bully him occasionally but...they do care for Nate, Matariel especially. Sephariel actually volunteered to trail him though when Mat heard it was to meet Sasha 'Ravenor', he grabbed me and raced off to follow, knowing trouble would definitely follow."

"He died...because Nate was meeting Sasha?" Elyssia didn't mean to vocalise that thought but it just slipped out. It was a thought that suddenly nagged at her, adding to the guilt. "Perhaps. We can't know that for certain since our family are not the most popular with the other...darker parts of the wizarding world. Either way, Matariel's told the others that you're not the ones we should take our anger out on. Once our cousin, Raziel, finishes with the rites of passing, we'll start preparations to strike back. Until then...we all do what we can to move on."

They saw Sasha in the library. Exactly like Eva had said, she was completely unharmed, talking quietly with Nathaniel, despite the revelation he'd been lying to her about his identity for the seven years they'd known each other. She looked up as they stood in the doorway and waved to her cousin. Nathaniel looked away, seemingly embarrassed by Elyssia's accusatory glare and Sasha shooed her away quickly so she could get back to talking with her guy friend.

"You know...shouldn't we be like fighting each other or something?" Elyssia clasped her hands behind her back, turning to look Eva in the eyes. She wanted an answer, to find out why they weren't already, considering the bad blood that had run between their families' most prominent members.

"Well...we could leave the rivalry to the boys, you know? It was always about Valius and Matariel. I never saw why we couldn't be...friends." Eva shrugged, opening the door to the living room. She gestured for Elyssia to sit and then fixed them a drink, seating herself next to her on a thick, padded sofa. "Valius Ravenor... I remember my brother used to always talk about him when he was still working for the Ministry. Said they were like brothers almost. And then..."

Eva sighed, taking a sip of her drink. Elyssia was silent. It was strange to think that she was sitting here in the camp of the...enemy, having a quiet chat with one about her dead brother. She didn't want to talk about him really but hearing about Val when he was still young, before all of this had happened, reminded her of some of their better times. And so she let the other woman keep talking, almost forgetting that she was talking about Matariel Ishval, not one of the most powerful dark wizards around and the one who had blinded Valius but the Matariel Ishval, the Auror trainee who fate had dealt the worst hand to.

"You know the story, assuming Valius told it right." Elyssia nodded but said nothing. "Matariel and Valius were both Auror cadets under Training Master Constantine Rayne. For two years, they trained and went on raids of suspected dark wizard properties along with two other cadets. They became some of the greatest initiates the Ministry had ever trained, having received the best training and possessing extremely powerful raw talent. Both were expected to go far in their careers, looking out for each other as they rose up the lower ranks. But then things went bad..."

"On one such raid, Master Rayne was murdered and their squad was placed under the command of another man, Dante Larson. He was one of those who had come out of the two wizarding wars worse than he had gone in, seeing dark wizards everywhere and persecuting many people even with insufficient evidence or reason. Many innocent people were tortured or killed in his hunt for 'dark wizards'. The team followed his lead, despite any personal reservations they had."

"Anyway...by this time, Matariel, still a young man, had a relationship with a girl, Cara Randell, his Hogwart's girlfriend who had started working in the sports department of the Ministry. Unfortunately, her father and brother were suspects in a recent attack on the Enforcement department and so Larson's team was sent to bring them in." Eva downed the remains of her drink and set it aside. She seemed to be overcoming her own emotions to relate this story. She was quite something, Elyssia decided. She could be razor hard at times...and still be so deeply affected by concern for her twin brother. More similarities...

"The father and brother weren't in but Cara was. While Valius and the other two were sent to search the house. Larson interrogated her. When she told him repeatedly she didn't know where they were, he got angry and struck her. Mat moved to stop him but Larson threw him aside. Then their leader proceeded to torture Cara using the cruciatus curse. She died. And then things went insane."

"The others came running back in just as Matariel attacked Larson, to avenge her for the sake of honour. Larson should have easily defeated a cadet but well...you've seen Mat when he's angry. He killed Larson and then the other two cadets when they tried to stop him. He turned on Valius but couldn't bring himself to attack his brother. He just wanted to leave with Cara's body but Valius couldn't let him just leave. It went against their duty to the Ministry."

'That sounded like Valius, alright.' As Elyssia listened to Matariel's tale, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the man. The sole image of the dark warrior who had fought against Valius for close to a decade was replaced by one blurred between black and white now she heard the story for herself. If their situations had been reversed...would Val have done any different? Probably not...

"The two fought. According to Matariel, the battle between them lasted close to an hour and the force of the magic they unleashed levelled the house. They were both heavily wounded but with one last strike, Mat managed to break through Valius' defences and blinded him. Even as he was reeling from the attack, Valius struck Matariel a deep wound and he was forced to retreat before the Auror backups arrived. He was forced to leave Cara's body behind...though apparently Valius had her buried by her family grave plot."

"Matariel was on the run and the Ministry sent people to get him back. Lethal force was authorised. He sent them back in body bags. Finally, your brother returned to active duty, despite all beliefs his career was over. And then he was sent after Matariel. Since then, they've met four times, each time ending in furious battles that end up destroying everything around them and almost killing them both."

"Matariel is considered one of the darkest wizards to oppose the Ministry but there was no other place he could go except into the darkness when the Ministry had a kill-on-sight order on him. It's ironic...since Valius himself is very adept at dark magic, last I've heard. It's a tragedy that they ever crossed blades. Valius doing his duty and Matariel doing what he must to survive... That was all that ever stood between us."

It really was a tragedy now the whole situation was laid out before Elyssia. If not for Val's goddamn sense of duty to the Ministry...even if it meant defying the Ministry and then being branded a traitor too. No, then the rest of them; her, Alaric, Sasha...all of them would be hunted down just like Matariel's whole family was. Then they had turned to the only route open to survival; dark magic.

"My point is just that..." Eva seemed to be building up to something. She turned to look at Elyssia, meeting her gaze. "For a long time, we've been at odds with...'other' dark wizards and witches. We don't cause the Ministry trouble for fun but to survive. They just try very hard and get a load of bodies back in return. So we got trouble from the other dark ones though they had to keep a lower profile to avoid being caught by the Ministry themselves."

"Only now the situation has changed now that the Ministry is helping those bastards, we're being hunted harder than ever. It's harder to stay undiscovered and soon we'll have to fight, preferably striking first before they get us...and we need allies."

"What I'm asking for...on behalf of the Ishval family, is an alliance between us and the Ravenors. I know you are not that many in numbers but together we can stand a better chance or surviving. Both our families are being hunted and though it might seem we're just more of the enemy, but the reason I told you the story of Valius and Mat was to point out...but for loyalty to the Ministry, they would've stayed brothers. Now that it's the Ministry trying to kill us all, that's not really a binding reason anymore."

Elyssia stared, wordless. Was this even her call? This was Valius' feud to sort out and conclude...only he couldn't. Maybe if he and Matariel had had that chance to sit down and work this out with their twin sisters monitoring them to stop things getting out of control. But that was more wishing. Like wishing Valius was still alive.

"I..." She swallowed hard. This was a...big decision. The Ishvals were branded criminals...but only because of Matariel's actions, which any of them would've done in the same situation. They used dark magic...but so did Valius and Alaric. And they were so similar... Valius and Matariel, one fighting for duty, the other for honour, now both betrayed by the Ministry they had served. "I...suppose we could..."

There was a loud crash downstairs. A pause, some shouting and then several loud bangs followed, explosions as spells went off. Eva was on her feet, wand out. She ran out the doors, Elyssia fast on her heels. They reached the balcony overhanging the main hall just in time to see Bardiel thrown backwards as three figures cloaked in black appeared, wands raised, spells flying.

Eva's foot was on the banister and she was vaulting down to the floor below and Elyssia found herself following instinctively, dropping down in a crouch and lunging forward. The one on the left whipped around, kicking Eva's wand aside and lashing out backhanded which she caught on her forearms. Elyssia leapt forward, tackling the person, slamming them back against the wall. The figure gave a feminine grunt of pain, hood falling back to reveal a curtain of auburn hair and flashing green eyes.

She drove her elbow down into Elyssia's back but she ignored the pain, lifting the woman off her feet and throwing her aside. Elyssia spun around to attack the leader but a wave of the man's hand and she was suddenly tossed back. The man carried a blade, a sword. It flashed through the air, sweeping down for her…and halting. There was a gasp from beneath the hood.

A hand grabbed at her robes and she was jerked backwards by Eva as Matariel appeared, wielding a blazing sword in his hands. His hands were a blur but the hooded leader met the strike, just as fast. They fought faster than the eye could follow but Elyssia wasn't focussed on the actually fight. She recognised the sword. She had last seen it as she covered earth over it at Valius' grave.

The man had stopped just before striking her, staying his hand despite her fighting against him. He moved with lightning fast precise movements, a master with that magically enchanted sword. And he'd knocked her aside with an open palm, no wand. Wandless magic… She knew who it could be…but no, that was impossible.

"Val…?" Her voice was trembling with emotions as she struggled to her feet. "Val, is that you…?"

The man seemed to hesitate, enough time for Matariel to drive a boot in to his chest and throw him against the wall. His sword drove home into his shoulder and the black hood fell back to reveal the man's face. Scarred and weathered skin, short dark hair, eyes hidden behind a black strip of cloth. Elyssia's knees gave way and tears spilled suddenly down her cheeks. The fighting seemed to halt all around her, eyes turning to stare at her. Even Matariel stepped back, hands open in warding. His eyes were wide with shock as he saw the man he had been fighting.

Valius Ravenor reached up and wrenched the sword out of his shoulder, tossing it aside. He walked over and dropped to his knees in front of Elyssia. His hand was on her shoulder and she looked up to find his face right before hers. She reached up, hand running across his rough cheek. It was warm. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him tight to her own body and felt his arms her. No…this wasn't a dream. He was really here, alive. "Val…? How are you alive? You're really here, aren't you?"

"Don't worry about it, Ely. I'll tell you about it later. Just rest now. I've got you."


	7. Restored Brotherhood

It was midnight. Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating Valius' face as he sat on the floor with his back against the wall, still wide awake. His face still stung where Elyssia had smacked him in the jaw with her fist when she'd told him about how he and Alaric had made a disappearing act. Well no, not even a disappearing act. They had pretended to die. It didn't matter that the whole world believed them gone. It was that he had lied to her, his own twin, and he was going to have to work on getting her to believe in him again. He deserved worse for the pain and grief he'd caused her. Alaric too. Although she'd always treated their younger cousin with careful care in the past, her boot to his groin had doubled him over and left him sprawled on the floor. Apparently that girl, Kara Ous, was quite a few months pregnant now with his baby and his 'death' must've been as hard on her as it had on the rest of the family. He had his own issues to deal with when they all got back from this.

Elyssia had fallen asleep in his arms, her body resting against his with his arms wrapped protectively around her as they had done often when they were younger. After she'd gotten over crying, she'd all but collapsed and, despite all misgivings, he had allowed the female, Eva, to convey them to one of the bedrooms where they could rest. His shoulder had been set, the bleeding stemmed. Alaric was unconscious on the bed and Kairi was standing guard at the door, her wand held tightly in her hand. She was bouncing on the balls of her feet in suppressed unrest. He knew she wanted to be back with the other Zodiacs now they had confirmed that Valius' sister was safe but her duty to protect them while they were resting held her in her place.

The fighting at Origin had been some of the fiercest fighting the Zodiacs had ever encountered and they'd seen a lot of fighting in their time. They had been facing ex-special forces Aurors who used different skills and tactics to overcome their enemy and they'd come prepared to take down other specially trained troops. They greatly outnumbered the Zodiacs, not just by having brought close to a hundred soldiers but also Amelia already out of action and Kairi off trying to track down Elyssia. Although fear of battle was an emotion that had been burnt out of their souls, there was a rustle of unease among their numbers as they prepared to face off against the Rangers. None faltered in their duties as they made the Tenth pay in blood for every inch of ground they took.

Magic traps unleashed searing flames that engulfed Ranger fireteams or released walls of spikes that impaled their bodies on them before grinding them to dust. Lights would go out to be replaced by an icy blackness and the sound of blades slicing through the air as Zodiac troops advanced with killing fury. They went for the leaders first, flaming bolts of magic racing out to burn holes through their commanders' skulls, then the squad sergeants, throwing the enemy in to disarray. When the inevitable mass charge came, Valius and Alaric Ravenor stood at the fore, enchanted blades raised high as the Zodiac unit gathered around their commanders. They had fought and fought until the Rangers advance came to a dead halt and were forced back as Valius' sword beheaded their overall leader and cast his body aside in magical flames. They were just pulling back as the message arrived from Kairi. Leaving the remainder of the battle in the hands of Kesian, they had left now that the worst of the enemy's forces had been staved off.

And now they were here. So there had been fighting at Diagon Alley with Ministry and dark wizard forces. And it had been Matariel and his lot that had pulled Elyssia and Sasha out of that, taking them to the safety of their home and treated them without hostility or harm according to Sasha. Right before she'd hugged him tight and run off to spend more time with that Nathaniel guy. This was a messed up situation. They were resting in the home of the Ishvals and Matariel had protected his sister and was now proposing a truce between them and their families. After all they had done, the times they'd almost come close to killing each other...

Elyssia snored gently, her chest rising and falling steadily. He patted her shoulder carefully before shifting her over so she was leaning against the wall herself and stood up. He folded his arms and stared out the window, looking out over the night skies through his magic-induced vision. It was because of Material he couldn't see the world through normal eyes. If not for the second sight he had been born with he would have become blind, a crippled soldier who couldn't serve the Ministry any longer.

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He'd lain in blackness on some old bed in the lower vaults of the Ministry where they kept those who were injured beyond use. All around him there had been the moans of the slowly dying and occasionally healers would stop by to check on him to see if his condition had improved. Magical flames had burned away his eyes and no spell or potion could restore them. They merely stood over him every hour out of routine as they did for every other patient.

How many hours, days passed by, nothing but the final thoughts of betrayal and vengeance conflicting in his mind, Matariel's face the last thing he saw, branded in his memories. He had to get out, to track down Matariel and bring him in. Only he could do it, know him well enough to find him in the entirety of the wizarding world. He could overcome this, achieve the impossible and carry the burden that was his to bear.

Then the light returned. Flashes and blurs that made his head spin. At first they kept disappearing, being swallowed up by the darkness. Then they remained, arranging themselves into pale and grey low resolution images...a ceiling, a healer's ward. His...vision was blurred, objects strobing as he moved his head. His head was burning, the pain recurring as it surged through every nerve of his being. His mouth opened and a scream emerged, the sound roaring off the stone walls.

The healers and orderlies came running, white flashes emerging from the grey. He slid his legs off the bed just as they arrived. Heavy set wizards reached forward to restrain him, a third going for his wand. Valius moved on instinct, several weeks of repressed unrest exploding out as he struck the wand bearer in the face with a solid kick. A punch to the throat dropped another and he whipped around to take down the last, an open hand strike chopping down on the man's collarbone, breaking it.

More blurs. Valius moved, lunging at the first and laying him out with a punch and spinning another with a kick. Stunning spells shot towards him, red jets of light blazing in the world of grey. He rolled, narrowly avoiding them and came up onto his feet. A blue bolt of energy struck him full in the chest and he collapsed, feeling rapidly escaping his body. Footsteps. A woman walked over to where he lay, kneeling down to take a closer look at him.

Claire Vindictus, the Minister for Magic? He...couldn't make out her face, just a blur of white light but he just got that...feeling of her familiar presence, an aura coming off her that he recognised. Consciousness was slipped away fast. He could feel her coolness of her palm pressed against his cheek. "He'll make it... You know what to do with him."

And then she was gone and the world returned to blackness. It was daylight when he returned to the present.

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They all met in the main sitting room. Two sofas faced each other around a coffee table. On one side, Valius sat, one hand resting on his sword, balanced on his knees. Elyssia sat next to him, watching her twin carefully and ready to restrain him at a moment's notice. Alaric stood slightly to his, hands near to but not quite on his sword hilt. Sasha was seated in a chair further away from the other side though her eyes kept roving to meet with Nathaniel's opposite her. Kairi, under Valius' orders, stood close to Sasha, ready to shield her with her body at a moment's notice.

And opposite...the Ishval family had gathered. Matariel sat alongside Eva, the pair positioned almost identically to their opposite numbers. The other brothers were arrayed around them; Sachiel, Bardiel and Nathaniel. The last man, the cousin, Raziel, stood at the rear of the room, hands in his robes, no doubt near to a wand. A fire roared in the fireplace, the only sound as the two sides faced each other, neither willing to be the first to speak. Valius' gaze was on Matariel's, who looked back, his eyes equally bitter.

"So..." Eva was the one to break the silence once she'd assessed her twin was going to be uncooperative. Valius shifted his gaze from Matariel to her, his glare relaxing slightly as he waited for her to continue.

"I understand that there has been a lot of bad blood between you and my brother. For almost a decade you two have clashed but now enough is enough. Both our families are being hunted down now and we need to settle aside our past feuds if we are to survive. You both once made an unstoppable team and for the sake of the families, we need to ally."

Valius made to speak but Elyssia tugged at his arm to get his attention. "Listen to her, Val. She's right. I know Matariel took away a lot from you; your sight, friends..." Her fingers brushed his face and he looked away from her. "But you've taken things from him too over the years you've fought and you need to settle this all before you're both kill each other. We need you both to survive."

If it was anyone else, Valius probably would have snapped at them. But instead he took a steadying breath. It took a lot of effort just to be in the same room as Matariel and not attack. The faces of so many dead comrades flashed in his mind. All ended by Matariel. "It's not that simple, Elyssia. You haven't heard, seen what Matariel's done since he...left the Aurors. He's killed countless Aurors and Ministry agents. I've been at enough funerals to know that. He could stab us in the back the moment we expose it to them."

"I've never betrayed anyone. I've only killed those who I had to, the men trying to kill me and harm my family. They had kill on sight orders for everyone of us so what the fuck do you expect me to do in that situation? Those who died had it coming for trying to eliminate the others who had nothing except be related to me."

"Right... Like Johnny? Like Sam, right before you killed them both. We served with them for, how long? But you blew them away, didn't even just stun them. They never stood a chance. You want to tell that to their families?" The faces of the two other cadets who had been the other half of their training squad flashed in Valius' mind, their final moments racing in his mind, the final moments seen through his true vision. "What about them? What about me? A slip in my spell and I'd be dead too, like the rest of our friends."

"Don't give me that shit, Valius", Matariel replied, his voice angry, now on his feet. "You stabbed me in the back when you could have just let me get away. You knew Larson was in the wrong. He murdered Cara. He murdered her and instead of backing me up, you chose your blind duty over your best friend. I didn't blind you. You did that all to yourself."

"Son of a bitch..." Valius was off the sofa and lunged across the table, tackling Matariel down and driving a fist into his face. His arm drew back for another strike but Matariel blocked, propelling him backwards with his boot before following through with his own punch. There were shouts from around them, Eva and Elyssia ordering the other boys to get them apart. Pain exploded in Valius' head as they traded blows, weapons forgotten but driving fist after armoured fist into whatever parts of the body they could reach.

Arms encircled his and started to pull him back but Valius headbutted backwards, smacking Alaric hard in the nose, breaking it with a loud crack. Despite the blood streaming down his face, his cousin held on firm, joined by Kairi as they hauled him away from Matariel. His nemesis was being restrained by two of his brothers and was fighting just as hard to break free.

Matariel's expression was furious, the glare at Valius' face. "Why couldn't you see it coming? Why couldn't you foresee what he was going to do with her and save her?"

"If I had seen it, you think I would have let her die? I'd have done whatever I could to stop her from dying."

"Would you? Even if you had to oppose your commander? Even if it conflicted with your god fucking damn duty?"

"You're fucking right I would. All I did...was not for duty to the Ministry. Fuck them. I knew that if you ran, you and your family would be hunted down as you are now. If you let me take you in, the situation could be explained. After what you did, they just wanted blood, no questions." Valius voice was more level now, his struggles lessened now. His blank gaze locked with Matariel's. There was silence in the room, all eyes on the two.

"I knew how much Cara meant to you and if you hold me responsible for her death..." A pause. "I'm sorry."

More silence.

"Well that's a long time ago now. And I suppose I never really...thanked you for burying her. So...thanks."

Both men had stopped struggling completely now and their restrainers released them slowly. Alaric backed off to have his nose set by his sister, now armed with a wet cloth to clean away the blood. Valius could feel Elyssia had stood and was now right behind him, mirroring Eva moving up behind Matariel, both alert and wary. Again, they made to start up the negotiation again but Valius held up a hand to forestall his sister cutting in.

"If you're offering it, Matariel...for the sake of our families and...the brotherhood we once had, I'll accept an alliance between us."

Matariel said nothing but instead started reaching for the sheath at his belt. Everyone except Valius tensed up as long knife appeared in Matariel's hand. He spun it in his hand and drew it across his palm, a crimson streak running across tanned skin. Valius took the outstretched hand, blood already dripping from his own.

Fire coursed through his veins as Valius let his hand drop to his side again. Well that was it. Their alliance bound by magic, sealed by their blood. The fates of both their families were now tied together and if one fell, it would be the destruction of the other. As he looked across at Matariel, he knew that his former friend knew the significance of what they had just done. Their connection had given him a brief insight into his mind and saw enough to know this was genuine. Their situation must really be that shit…

"Right well… I'm glad that's all settled then." Elyssia clapped her hands together, breaking the two out of their reverie. The tension faded from the room's occupants as he stepped away from Matariel back over to his twin. Alaric's nose was set now and he was slumped in a chair. Kairi was pacing again and Sasha had now moved back to the centre to talk quietly with Nathaniel Ishval. The other brothers of Matariel moved off, departing out side doors to do whatever they did around the house.

That left only Matariel and Eva. It had seemed so long he had pursued him and yet now, here he was and he felt none of the raging desire for revenge that had driven him the whole time. His sword was within reach but he had no urge to reach for it. He just stood there, motionless, staring back at his old brother in arms. Even now, he could see the similarities between them, try as he might to ignore them.

The years had been rough on both of them. Neither was still the youthful, enthusiastic Auror cadet who had signed up to do their duty to their Ministry and country. Both were scarred, hard-bitten veterans of too many battles, tired from all the fighting but who knew nothing else in this world. And now they had to keep fighting to survive and preserve the lives of those they cared for. It was something anyone could and should fight for, beyond anything else.

He had a mission to do, the mission he had set out to do almost a year ago. To lure out every and all threats to the stability of the country, both internal and external to the Ministry, draw them all in and crush them in one action. Before her departure from office, Claire Vindictus, had granted him and Alaric a carte blanche to do whatever it took to succeed in their mission, even killing of Heads of the Ministry.

They'd had to die to make them drop their guards, believe the most vigilant of the Aurors gone and their way clear to domination of the country. They'd had to sit back and watch as innocent people were subjugated by the Ministry, watch as they made their deals with the dark wizards who now roamed the streets without fear. All waiting until the time when an opportunity to succeed absolutely presented itself.

The time when every last good Department head had been deposed, when they had grown confident enough to start hunting down the Zodiacs, the last die-hard followers of the Ravenors… It had become that moment. Now they were fighting back, the Zodiacs holding down their elite commando forces back at Origin and the rest…well the best was yet to come.

But before the decisive speartip to the heart of the corruption…Valius wanted to go home. It had been a long time since he had been there and he missed it, a strange nostalgia almost unfamiliar to him. He looked over at Elyssia and he could read the same thing in her eyes, that bond they shared now re-established.

"Elyssia…time to go home?"

She nodded but turned back as they started for the door. "Eva? Matariel? Would you like to come visit our home? Since you were…kind enough to invite us to yours."

Matariel was on the verge of shaking his head before Eva slapped him hard on the shoulder and smiled warmly at Elyssia and then Valius. She may have been related to Matariel but…even his ruined vision could not hide the fact she was a beauty. He certainly didn't mind when she accepted the invitation.

"We'd love to, Elyssia. Thank you for the offer. Matariel?"

"…of course."

Elyssia returned Eva's smile before linking arms with her. "Shall we?"

Valius shrugged but then they were gone. Well…this was it, time to go home finally. One second the world went black and the next, he felt grass beneath his boots; a carefully mown lawn, encapsulating a long path that led up to the Ravenor estate. There it stood, the solid, fortress-like home that had been built by his father as a place where the family could always gather and live. He had been away too long…

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Around him, the others were apparating. Eva and Elyssia were already here, his sister pointing out various things to her guest, heads together and voices low. Alaric reappeared, his expression passive and unchanged. Always the emotionless act with him… Even now. Sasha arrived, accompanied by Nathaniel. She noticed Valius' scrutiny but stuck her tongue out and looked away. Last came Matariel, standing alone and away from the others. The last time he had been here, they'd still been the best of friends. And now what were they…?

Well…he could ponder that later. When he was back indoors, resting in the living room, see his little sister, Regina, again. Check up on how the boys, Alexius and Briareos, were getting on with their training without him or Alaric to supervise them. Maybe Aurelia and Alexia had taught them something new in the time they had been staying at the house, instead of just…having a bit of fun.

But there was enough time to get to all that without rushing this moment. The plan to retake control of the Ministry and eliminate the traitors and enemies currently ruling England would take time to formulate. Preparations had to be made. Maybe he'd sit down and ponder over it at the table, cold beer, one of Elyssia's home cooked meals…

A curse roared past his head, his danger sense alerting him at the last second, causing him to tilt his head to the side. He looked around, gaze whipping around to the gate leading up from the path. Except the path was now filled with both wizards wearing Ministry enforcement and Auror agents…accompanied by black robed dark wizards. They surged forward, wands blazing, voices raised in battle cries. Well there went the chance of having a few moments relaxing, the cold beer, Elyssia's food…

Valius drew his sword from his back, the blade igniting with magic. He had about half a minute before they were close enough to actually do any real damage. Better get this out the way then, putting his break on hold.

"Well shit…" he grumbled, raising his weapon and swinging it in a lateral arc, magic surging out to bisect the front rank of enemies. Another swing and then they were near enough. The world erupted into battle again.


	8. The War at Home

"Run! Get inside!"

Valius' voice made her turn around and Elyssia's eyes widened as the sky around her suddenly became a storm of magic. A small horde of witches and wizards were charging down the path to their house, wands unleashing volley after volley of energy in their direction. Even as she stood rooted to the spot, a thousand splinters of magic came roaring towards her, all converging on her. Her training seemed to abandon her as her limbs froze with fear and surprise at being attacked on her home ground. Then a hand seized a fistful of her robes and threw her to the ground. Curses swept over her head or suddenly refracted off around an invisible shield, a shield in the hand of Matariel Ishval.

"You heard your brother, Elyssia. Eva, get her moving." Matariel's voice cut through the noise, startling her in to action, struggling to her feet with Eva helping. They started running, hot on the heels of Sasha. Nathaniel guarded her back as they made their hasty sprint for the front door. Kairi seemed to want to be torn between staying or running but Valius had give his orders and she took off after them. Valius and Alaric were standing with drawn blades blazing with light. They were back peddling, flicking spells aside with open hands and unleashing arcs of energy that decapitated the wizards who didn't dive for cover or raise shields. Matariel joined them, his own sword joining theirs to form an impenetrable web of energy as they covered the other's retreat.

The front door opened to a surprised Regina, just as Sasha tackled her out the way and into the house, followed swiftly by Nathaniel. Elyssia kept running even as Aurelia and Alexia came out and flanked the doorway, giving her covering fire, joined by Kairi as she reached them. Then she was through the doorway, then Eva. The three boys brought up the rear, her brother booting Alaric backwards inside while stabbing the nearest wizard through the gut. Matariel beheaded another before grabbing Valius' shoulder and pulling him inside too, the heavy door slamming shut, vibrating violently as another hail of magic struck it.

"Ely! You're back." She felt her younger sister hug her fiercely around the waist but released almost immediately as Regina caught sight of Valius and Alaric. Her expression matched the one she had worn when she'd first found her twin to be alive. Unlike her own reaction though, Regina didn't smack Val like she should have but instead attacked him with one of her tightest embraces and then Alaric, both boys looking slightly surprised by her antics. Briareos and Alexius had come running but had frozen when they'd seen their older cousins returned but swiftly recovered, drawing wands and standing ready to follow Valius' orders like they had always done.

What the hell was happening now... It was like battle was coming to everywhere where they should be safe; Diagon Alley, their home... Elyssia drew her wand, going to stand by the window and watch as the horde came closer, their spells being neutralised against the magical defences of the house. There must have been two or three score enemies out there, spraying bolts of magic at the defences but keeping their distance. The walls shook from the constant beatings and sooner or later, there only thing standing between them and the bad guys were some thick stone bricks.

"Alright guys..." Valius was taking charge. So like him. He didn't change, in some ways. "The main assault will be coming from the front, so this is where me, Matariel, Eva, Kairi and Aurelia will make a stand with Briareos and Alexius backing us up. Elyssia...I want you to take Sasha and Regina and hide them upstairs. Take Alexia with you. Protect them until we get back to you. Nathaniel…you stay down here with us."

Elyssia pocketed her wand and grabbed both the younger Ravenor girls by the arms, steering them for the stairs. She stopped at the foot of them, turning back to Valius. He noticed her scrutiny and looked over at him. "Just...don't you fucking die on me, Val. I can't lose you again now..."

"Trust me, sis. I'll be sticking around a long time now." He gave her one of those few smiles he ever gave and that was enough to reassure her for now he wasn't going to be tossing away his life any time soon. Either way, Valius Ravenor was never an easy man to kill. She exchanged nods with Alaric and Matariel and some suggestive wink from Eva before she was starting up the stairs at a run as the others drew weapons and prepared further defences.

On the landing, Elyssia started moving towards her own bedroom when Regina put an arm up to halt her. She raised an eyebrow at her little sister but she shook her head. "Kara's resting on your bed. It seemed like the most comfortable place to leave her which she waited for you to come back."

"Kara's here? Are you serious...?" She nudged the door open with her boot to find the pregnant blonde asleep on her bed. Well...this really made things slightly worse. She thought it was bad enough having to look after the younger girls but now Kara and Alaric's unborn kid too? At least Alexia was here too. The Zodiac woman looked ready as anything, wand out and wary. They both escorted Regina and Sasha into her room and shut the door, waiting for the noise to stop. The noise didn't stop for a long time.

Explosions became a constant as spells struck at the defences again and again. Then there was a loud crashing sound as the front door was blown apart and the battle cries increased in volume as the enemies stormed in, followed by the sounds of men being cut down as Valius, Alaric and Matariel went to work. She could hear shouts as Alexius and Briareos started casting their support spells to take out the enemies in the peripherals. There were the sounds of the dying, the enemy dying in droves as they tried to force their way in and were faced with storms of destructive magic.

Elyssia pulled Sasha and Regina close to her, trying to cover both their ears to try and block out the sounds of the fighting below. They were shaking slightly, unused to hearing such noises and having the danger so close to home. She wasn't used to all this herself. This was what Val and Aly were meant to deal with, away from here where the rest of them could remain blissfully ignorant of how a man screamed as he was burned alive by magical flames or how surprisingly loud one could hear a sword cleave through flesh and bone, blood splashing out in crimson waves.

footsteps, coming closer up the stairs. The girls' shaking increased and Elyssia pulled them tighter to her, her pulse racing. Alexia had stepped back from the door, wand raised and a spell ready on her lips. Closer and closer...

The door exploded inwards, revealing a trio of black robed wizards with cruel murder in their gaze. The first took a knife in the centre of his forehead, his body crumpling to the floor. The second doubled over as the Zodiac girl leapt forward, driving a knee into the man's gut, and then stabbing upwards with outstretched fingers to rip out the man's windpipe. Alexia spun around to take out the last man, wand in hand. She shouted a curse but nothing came forth, no flash of light, no spark or anything. She had a moment to look surprised before the wizard struck her across the face with a fist, sending her sprawling next to Elyssia.

The oldest Ravenor girl brought her wand up, intending to blast the man away before he could lay a hand on her instinctively. Elyssia could feel pounding in her ears now, her fingers tingling from the rush of adrenaline even as more men appeared in the doorway. Her wand was shaking in her hand and despite her training, the words of a spell kept slipping from her mind before she could utter the incantations now when she tried.

'Damn it, girl…he's not that intimidating.' The man was creeping to his feet, hands like claws stretched out before him. His face was a mask of raw bloody flesh, lips drawn back in a cruel grin. Still no spell… What the hell kind of witch was she? Well screw this… She lunged forward and kicked him hard in the face, strong leg muscles powering the attack through to connect and snap his neck with loud popping sound.

"Shit…" Elyssia was breathing heavily. She was not cut out for this whole fighting thing. She sat down on the bed, scrutinising the wand in her hand. Okay, so she wasn't exactly Val or Aly but she was not a completely incompetent witch. And Alexia's magic hadn't worked either… Maybe…

Sasha, who'd been attending to the injured Alexia gave a shout, pointing behind Elyssia, just in time for her to half turn, before a hand closed around her neck, squeezing hard. Almost instantly, her vision began to swim, blackness appearing in the corner of her eyes. She could see Regina and Sasha both raising their wands but despite their shouts, again, no magic came forth. She drove an elbow back into the man's gut but it was like hitting a brick wall…only harder. Damn it, she couldn't breathe…

There was a gust of wind and then the grip on her throat slackened almost immediately. There was a dull thud and the two halves of the wizard she'd already killed once fell at her feet. She started to topple over but a strong arm caught her. It took a few moments for her to regain full consciousness and looked around to find that man…Matariel, supporting her with one hand, his sword in the other. Having confirmed she was alright, he let Sasha and Regina guide her to the bed, next to Kara, and stooped to pick something up from the body.

Elyssia just managed to catch the small object he tossed to her. She felt…strange, almost the moment she touched it. Looking down, she found a small blood red stone sitting in her palm. It had a dull finish and would've been unremarkable if it hadn't just come off the body of someone who kept on moving after having his neck broken.

"That'd be the reason why your spells weren't working." She looked around to see Matariel regarding her…or maybe the stone, thoughtfully. "Haven't seen one of these in a long time. A blank stone…nullifies all sorts of magic within a small radius. You keep hold of that. Might come in use to you some time."

"Err…thanks." Elyssia pocketed the stone and found Matariel still looking at her. Sasha and Regina were getting Alexia back to consciousness now, Regina doing most of the work, unsurprisingly. Kara was still asleep, oblivious to the major damage done to the bedroom. "So…is the fight downstairs all done or something? Shouldn't you be downstairs helping Val out?"

"Yeah… Just checking you're okay, that's all." Elyssia raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged. "Valius sensed some absence in the magic fields upstairs, one of his…things he can just do. He was going to come up to try and help you himself but then a fresh wave of troops broke down the front door and he told me to do it while he held them back."

Matariel wiped his blade clean on a handful of his black robes and then slung it across his shoulder. He was quite a…dashing figure, Elyssia decided. Certainly looked the part of a hero who had courageously saved her from the undead walking magic dead…person. Maybe after this…wait, wrong time, Elyssia. She mentally slapped herself, outwardly dusting herself down and pocketing her wand.

"Better get back to the fight?"

"Yeah…I'll be back…with Valius and the others when it's all clear. It seemed they weren't prepared for all of us to be here, just you, the girls and your younger guy cousins. I'm surprised they even sent this guy." He tapped the bisected man with his boot. "But whatever…take care of yourself."

Then he was gone, hurrying away across the landing and leaping down the staircase, sword swinging, blade alit with blue flames. There was a scream and a bang as he landed and then the sounds of killing resumed. There was no more door to keep out the noises, since those inconsiderate bastards had destroyed her beautiful oak door so she'd have to just bear it. Kara was still completely out of it and well…Regina and Alexia were…looking after each other. Sasha made her way over to stand next to her older cousin.

"He likes you, you know…"

"Sasha, what the hell?" Elyssia whipped around, staring at her grinning expression temporarily outweighing the nervousness at being in the middle of a war zone. Trust her…that little, insolent…

"I'm serious. You saw the way he looked at you there. He was like…totally into you there, Ely. When this is all over, you two should totally go out and stuff like that."

"God damn, girl. When this is all over could be a long time away if you keep distracting people with crap like that." Maybe she had noticed something about the way the man had been looking at her. Something…interested? From the sounds of it, since Cara, Matariel had been on the run too long for him to gain any emotional attachments to anyone but his family. And now he liked her? So many distractions… She just needed to keep looking down the corridor and make sure no more bad guys came after them. "Besides…he's an Ishval. We don't really mix well with them you know?"

Sasha smirked, following her gaze, hands on hips. "Whatever, Ely. I'm not going to let something like that come between and Nate, you know. And neither should you with your man. Even if he and Val are going to kill each other at some point."

"Well me and Eva will just have to stop them getting around to that business then, won't we? Us twin sisters will just have to smack them around the head when they get stupid ideas like that. But whatever, Sasha. Keep your nose out of my relationships and I won't start asking embarrassing questions about you and Nate, got it?"

"I'll do it instead", Regina chipped in, from where she sat, nursing Alexia's 'injuries'. The Zodiac girl was now back to her full attentiveness, bouncing on the edge of her seat and with her wand out but was otherwise letting Regina get all over her with her attentions.

Sasha made a shooing gesture at her cousin just as there were slow footsteps coming up the stairs and Valius appeared, looking completely wrecked. He had his sword sheathed and his wand out, a change considering how nowadays he liked to rely on his wandless magic, always trying to be different. Must've had some serious magic doing down there… She tossed the blank stone on the drawers by her bed as she walked over to him.

"All done, Val?" Elyssia checked her brother over. She tugged his burnt and torn robes off and ruffled his sweaty hair. He was otherwise uninjured and she was…just really glad to see him alive and walking about.

"All done, sis. I told you I'd be sticking around for longer now. Most of them are dead and we have a few prisoners. Zero casualties. All in all, a success." Her brother holstered his wand at his side, looking around the room. Alexia jumped to her feet and stood at attention but he waved her to ease up. "You all okay? None of you hurt?"

The girls shook their heads but he continued to look them over. "Well…I know that can't have been pleasant to listen to." Ever the master of understatement, her brother… "But it's all over now. According to one of the guys we kept alive, the Ministry has finally decided to get rid of any trace of resistance to their control…which unfortunately includes the members of the Ravenor family, even the non combatants."

Those bastards… Elyssia was angry now. Those sons of bitches were coming after her. Her and the girls…and Kara too. She kicked out at the bisected body at her feet in frustration and the cracked bones gave another loud snap. Regina and Sasha jumped at the sound and she thought better to do it again. She instead lashed out at one of her side drawers, chipping the woodwork. Her new present from Matariel dropped on the floor and she bent to pick it up.

"Ely…" Her brother moved in her general direction but stopped, looking around still, as if not seeing her. He was just about near her when he came to a halt, suddenly coughing and doubling over. She moved to help her twin but as she got nearer, his pain seemed to increase and he tripped and stumbled back. Alexia hurried over and caught him before he fell over completely.

"Val…? Are you alright?" His head turned to face her…but off to one side, still missing her. His breathing had become fast, even though he was relaxed a moment before, despite the fighting that had occurred downstairs.

"I…can't see you, Ely. You sorta just vanished… There's just a blank space where you should be. Are you still there…?" What the hell…? Elyssia looked over at Regina and Sasha but they both shrugged equally confused. Even Alexia was looking surprised.

The Zodiac walked over to Elyssia, examining her for a moment before taking her hand and taking the blank stone from it, stepping back. "And now, Val?"

Her brother shook his head for a moment, the looked straight at her. "What…the fuck was that…? And where's Alexia gone?"

"Shit…it's that thing". Elyssia frowned, staring at the thing Matariel had pulled off the dead guy. "He called it a blank stone, stops magic working around the person holding it or something. And I guess…that means you can't see the carrier either."

"Son of a bitch…" He looked angry now, pissed off. "There was no way I'd let anyone get upstairs to reach you. I should've known they'd use something like that to get past me… Fuckers." He drew his knife and started for the door. The prisoners maybe…?

The girls seemed uncertain what to do and Alexia wouldn't stand in her commander's way. Elyssia hurried after him, catching him at the top of the stairs, hand on his shoulder. "Val. We're all okay. You don't have to do anything rash. It's all over and safe, right?"

"But they were going to harm you, sis. You're not even involved in this. I should have killed them outright and now I have every reason to. Bastards…" He started down the stairs again but she stopped him again.

"Please, Val… For me, show a bit of compassion and mercy?" Why the hell was she trying to save these murderers' lives? Hell, it didn't even make sense to her…but then again, neither did executing prisoners when they were disarmed and captured. It may have been the way Valius Ravenor, commander of the Zodiac assassination unit, worked, but it was not the way she wanted her twin brother, Val, to act.

Once again, he turned to look at her, that blank stare meeting her eyes. His brows were knitted and frown lines heavy on his forehead. He seemed to be struggling against his basic instinct and her wishes. She didn't know much about what he'd been through in the past but from what the Kys twins had told her, that had been a great part of their survival training…kill or be killed. Leave no man or woman alive to oppose you.

At last, he sighed, shrugging his shoulders and holding his knife out to her, palm up and hand open. She took it and smiled at him. He managed a smile back, a forced expression considering his agitated mood. "Thanks, Val."

"You always know best, Ely." That time his smile was genuine, warmer. He took her hand and led her downstairs. "This might not be a nice sight…so you might want to cover your eyes or something?"

They descended to the main hall…to find it all but demolished, wreckage and bodies everywhere. Blood stained the walls and there was a burning smell of flesh in the air that Eva seemed to be trying to get rid of with her wand. Matariel was sifting through the bodies of a few dozen dead wizards and witches, looking for useful items or artefacts they might have. The other woman, Kairi, seemed to be guarding the prisoners; five males and one female who looked like they'd been roughed up pretty good.

Her little cousins, Briareos and Alexius, were sitting on the side, looking slightly shell-shocked. This was their first proper combat and killing first time out was something not even Aurors usually did. Nathaniel was sitting near to them in a pretty similar state. This crisis was really making the boys grow up fast. It was strange to see a girl, Aurelia, being the calm one, leaning against a wall nearby, one foot resting on the body of a wizard she'd killed. She gave Elyssia a wave as she saw her and she returned it, trying to look casual.

"Yeah so…once we've got rid of the bodies here, we can start repairing the defences of the house here. In a short while, I'll get everyone together and we can start thinking about striking back." Val was walking around the place, inspecting the aftermath, casually stepping over the bodies. There was a slight scuffle and they both looked around to see one of the prisoners causing some sort of commotion. The woman was half rising just as Alaric appeared from a side room, kicking her hard in the gut to make her sit down again.

"Alright, woman. Ready to talk to us finally? Attacking my little sister is not a way to good way to get in our good books. Now tell us who gave you the direct order to attack our place before I have to get properly nasty." The woman spat at him so he cuffed her hard across the face with his fist, her nose breaking with a crack.

"Aly!" Before Val could stop her, she was marching over to her younger cousin, catching him as he lined up another kick. "Stop that crap already."

He paused, looking confused to find her pacing towards him and looked uncertainly at Val. Her twin shrugged and he stood down, passively before Elyssia's wrath. She came to a halt between him and the woman he had been interrogating. The prisoner glared at her but she ignored it. Disgruntled or not, it didn't sit well with her beating the crap out of prisoners.

"Okay, boys. From now on, you need to lay off the beatings, all right? We can all just play nice now that the actual fighting's over." She turned back to face Val and Aly. "As long as our 'friends' here can play nice, maybe we can all get along and…"

She stopped. For some reason, her voice wasn't coming out suddenly. In fact, her whole body was starting to freeze, the feeling draining away from her limbs. Strangely enough, she could hear her own heart beating louder than normal, pounding away in her ears, growing steadily slower. She looked down to see a small needle protruding from her thigh, held by the woman she had just saved.

"Oh…shit". The floor seemed to be rising up to meet her extremely fast. The impact wasn't as hard she thought…until she saw Valius kneeling over her and reckoned he must've caught her. His mouth was moving and it looked like he was shouting but she couldn't hear him. It was getting really cold. Shit…it was growing dark too. That wasn't right…

She felt like sleeping. Yeah…really tired, limbs heavy and her eyelids closing slowly, despite trying to stay awake. From the look on Valius' face, it was probably a bad idea to give in…but it was just so easy to just let go and drift off into the darkness. Her vision rocked. Was Val shaking her? She couldn't even fucking feel a thing. This was messed up. Perhaps it would be all better when she woke up. The darkness closed further.

Well…if she was dying, it least Val was here. That was nice. They had come into this world together, it was right that they were together when one left. She tried to smile though she couldn't be sure her facial muscles were still functioning. Oh well…he'd get what she meant. He could always tell. The coldness finally engulfed her and her eyes closed. All she saw was blackness…and then not even that.


	9. Beyond Death

"Ely…"

"Ely…" She had frozen up, her eyes wide and staring. Her mouth opened to speak but no words came out. Valius' gaze shifted from her face to her thigh, where a golden needle protruded, gripped in the fist of Sonja Varnae, one of Octavis' inner circle. She gave him a malicious grin, right before her head parted from her shoulders. Matariel stood over her, sword in hand and chest rising and falling, breathing hard as his gaze locked on, not the body at his feet, but at Ely. Alaric was frozen on the spot, the others all around locked in stasis, just watching as she fell.

Valius forced himself to move and caught her, lowering her body to the ground as slowly and carefully as possible. His heart was racing, twice as fast now. A sweat had broken out across Ely's brow and her pupils were dilated. Through his sight, Valius could see a poison spreading throughout her body, a magical venom that was seizing up every muscle in her body and stopping her heart from beating. It was an unnatural thing, probably engineered in the Department of Mysteries. There was no antidote…

He was shouting at her, for her to wake up, for her to say something, anything. He shook her hard, slapping her gently across the cheeks to try and get some response but nothing. This wasn't happening… She was meant to be safe, away from the danger in case something like this happened. Why the fuck had he ever let her come down when even one of those fuckers were still breathing…? Why had she let him talk her into sparing them, showing…'mercy'? See where it got her… No, this was all his own fucking fault.

He pulled his gauntlets off and tossed them aside, brushing Elyssia's hair out of her face and brushing her cheek. She was growing cold, really cold. He pulled her close to his chest, rocking her gently as he tried to warm her with his own body heat though he knew it was a futile attempt. He'd felt too many people die in his arms to fail to recognise the signs. But Elyssia…why her? Fucking why did it have to be her?

His own body was shaking now, shaking with fear or anger or sorrow, he didn't know. He'd lost many people; friends, comrades…but through the pain, he could still pull through, come out stronger and do what he needed to do with greater resolve. If Elyssia died…his world died with her. There couldn't be one without the other in this life or any other. Valius held her tighter, willing her not to fade, his cheek pressed against hers.

All around him, the others had stopped to stare at him and Elyssia, each with looks of dread and grief in their eyes. They knew the truth as well as he did; that Elyssia was going to die if she wasn't already. Briareos and Alexius had dropped to their knees before her, looking at Elyssia's wide-eyed expression with increasing horror. There were tears on Eva's cheeks and Matariel was stony faced, all emotion erased. The two Zodiac girls had their heads bowed, eyes averted from their commander's grief. Alaric stood alone, even his normal stoic manner cracked wide open to expose the heavy heart beneath.

He wanted to shout at them, tell them to stop fucking staring and just go away, leave him alone. He wanted to take his sword and walk to the Ministry, march through the place and kill everything that stood in his way until every single person even slightly responsible for his twin's death lay dead. He wanted to kill himself, the one who had ultimately failed her, failed to protect her and keep her safe. If only it were that simple… If only he could trade his life for hers…

Valius stopped. If he could trade his life for hers, to give up everything so she could live… There was a way. It was dangerous…but what did he have to lose. If he did nothing, Elyssia died. At least this way, there was a chance to stop death before it could claim her. It involved some of the blackest of magic known to wizard-kind but it was for the greatest cause possible. He could still 'feel' the life within her, buried deep within her core, isolated and buried. He could bring her back…he would bring her back or destroy the world in the attempt.

Regina and Sasha came hurrying down the stairs, stopping to find the cause of the silence and then catching sight of Elyssia's body. Their sorrow was the rawest of the group's, the deepest torment possible incurred upon them that made them fall to their knees. He felt he needed to comfort them…but he had to act. Act now.

He slid his arms under Elyssia and lifted. She gave no response but he didn't expect any. He started moving out of the hall, deeper into the house. At the door, he paused. "Matariel…I'm going to need your help." Then he was gone, disappearing into the darkness.

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Valius moved fast, carrying Elyssia in his arms. Dust rose at his feet as he descended into the basement of the Ravenor estate. Matariel followed in silence, all too aware of Valius' smoldering anger, his willingness to lash out at anyone or anything that stood in his way. Torches burst to life as he walked, marching to the far wall and pressing a free hand to the cold stone. A rune burned into existence where his hand touched it and a section of it slid back to reveal a hidden doorway into a chamber beyond. They entered and he lay his twin on a stone slab in the centre of it. She was still staring up at the ceiling, blank eyes that couldn't see him, just as his eyes couldn't see her.

"What is this, Valius?" He ignored the other man, moving around the room, preparing something. He stopped in front of an iron cast vault, daubed with bloody runes of warding. It was where he stored the dark magic artefacts that he'd taken off his targets but failed to hand in to the Ministry for disposal. A flash of magic and it swung open. He reached inside and withdrew what he was looking for.

In the torch light, the heavy iron-bound tome looked more imposing, its many runes and sigils reflecting the flickering flames. He opened it and turned to the page he knew provided him with what he needed. Matariel stood back, watching in silence until then.

"Are you sure about this, Valius?" The Auror ignored him as he continued with preparations. His black armour was discarded to the side and he'd stripped off his robes from waist upwards, revealing his battered and scarred body. His knife was already in his hand, opening up the palm of his other hand so blood ran freely from the cut without hesitation. The red liquid pooled before him and with middle and index finger, he began to mark the first arcane symbols upon his chest and forehead.

Matariel moved closer so he could see the book over Valius' shoulder, reading fast and quietly. He looked from the contents to Valius. He opened his mouth to speak but then thought better of it. He understood the other's thoughts right now. If his twin were so close to death and a possibility, no matter how small or costly, were available, he'd take it.

The tome was a forbidden text, outlawed by the Ministry for being too involved with the dark arts. The magic of life stealing had been something that wizards the like of the Dark Lord had sought for centuries at the cost of other people's lives. And so it had been one of the things the Ministry sought to contain and capture before it could fall into the hands of dark wizards. And so they had eventually landed in Valius' blood stained hands.

He paused only momentarily to look at his sister, looking deep into her staring eyes…and then Valius' hands worked faster, fingers tracing red streaks now on his twin's body, runes of binding to hold the energy. Then he was done. Now came the hard part…the painful part. Matariel, hands wet with his own blood stepped back from Elyssia too, his half of the arcane design completed. This was all up to Valius now. He placed a hand on the book, feeling the tendrils of power lurking within it. It was a dark artefact, used by dark wizards to do dark magic. And now it was through using it that he would save Elyssia.

For so long, the Ravenor family name had stood for honour and purity, a piety to crush and eradicate dark wizardry wherever it was found, following the doctrine that only through staying true to the path of the light did one stay true to oneself and it was the only way to serve the Ministry as an Auror should. Valius had departed from that narrow clear set path a long ago now. In the killing fields of Elysium, he and the other Zodiacs had learnt to harness every and all art of magic that existed to do what they needed to make the world a better place. And the world was a much better place with Elyssia in the world. He would give his life and stain his own soul if it meant she lived.

He brushed her hair gently and kissed her forehead. She just lay there, body frozen and lifeless…except for the eyes, those damned staring eyes that refused to close and give her the proper semblance of a peaceful rest. He leaned in close to whisper to her though he was sure she couldn't actually hear him anymore. "It'll be alright, Elyssia. Just hold on a bit longer."

It was a complex spell. It required a wizard of great mental and magical strength to even understand and verbalise it. But Valius had to do more than just use it. He had to change it so that it reversed the effects. It was a spell to draw the life force from the victim to the caster. Valius intended to use his own life to restore the fading spirit of Elyssia.

He lowered his head, feeling, rather than reading the words imprinted on the iron book. Trying to work out the inverse spell would have taken too long. The words were foreign but he let himself sense the essence of the magic instead, sense its ebb and flow and grasped hold of it, letting unknown syllables and tones escape his lips as he shaped it to what he wished. A chill ran from his body, spreading from his core outwards as the magic came to him and finding the peak of the spell, he laid his hands on Elyssia's body, one on her forehead, the other on her stomach.

A searing pain engulfed his entire body, tearing him in half. He sank to his knees but fought to remain conscious. This whole spell required him to stay with it, keep on uttering the painful words that drew life from him and forced it in to Elyssia's body, using the energy to burn the poison from her system. His teeth were gritted and he was fighting down the urge to scream with everything he had. He was no stranger to pain but this was beyond anything he had ever felt. A cruciatus curse hurt his body but this spell burned his soul.

Feeling was leaving his body though he kept speaking those words, spitting, screaming the words of the spell that would bring Elyssia back. A white light was filtering into his distorted vision, a blinding, glaring light that swelled steadily until it engulfed him. A warmth flooded his body and then he was drifting away, pulled away on the currents of magic.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Val! Come on! I got something to show you." A small boy of about five years of age came running across the lawn, sprinting as fast as his short legs could carry him. His sister waited for him, impatience causing her to hop on the spot. He skidded to a halt to see what she had there. She ordered him to close his eyes though he tried to peek anyway. When her hand came away from his face, he found her brandishing a wand; their father's wand, in fact.

"Where'd you get that, Ely? Dad says we can't play with that or we'll get hurt or something, right?"

"Psst… Don't be such a spoilsport, Val. It's fun. See…fuuuun." She drew out the last word as she traced it in the air, small sparks shooting from the end of the wand to draw the letters in mid air. "Wanna try?"

"Duh, what do you think? I'm totally better at all this stuff. Just watch this." He snatched the wand from her hand, giving a little flick to add some flourish and style to his magic. He cleared his throat with a loud cough and muttered a spell word he'd seen in some of the books lying around the house, jabbing with the wand at the same time. A jet of water spat from the tip, spraying out and catching his sister full on.

She shrieked and flailed as she was soaked. When he lowered his wand, she was looking angry her small brows angled in a way that said she wanted payback. She stuck out her hand. "Give me that back."

He shook his head. "I don't think so, sis. You'll only do something silly with it."

"Give it back!"

"It's not yours anyway. So finders keepers!"

"Give it now!" She sprang at him, tackling him to the lawn. They rolled over and over, fighting over their latest toy. Sparks shot from the end of the wand, angry red that narrowly missed each of their faces. There was more running, adults coming to pull them apart, mum and dad taking the wand away and then forcing them to stop fighting.

They received and stern telling off and slapping across the wrists. Then they were sent to their separate rooms, not before Ely shouted at her brother that she hated him and didn't want to see him again, then storming off and slamming the door behind her.

Later that night, struggling to lift the window, Val plopped down onto the rug in her room. His pajamas clung to him and he shivered slightly. It had been cold and he'd had to climb across the outside of the house to get from his room without alerting the parents.

"Ely… Ely!" he hissed, as quietly as he could manage. The girl groaned and rubbed her eyes, pulling back her sheets to slide out of bed.

"What you want, Val? I told you I didn't wanna see you no more."

"Ely…I'm sorry for what happened earlier. It won't happen again. Promise!"

She huffed and averted her eyes, much the way the witches did on those drama shows. Val fidgeted before reaching over to get the item he had hauled from the next room. He set the bucket of water down in front of her.

"Go on. Do that and we're even, alright?"

Ely looked back at him, only she was grinning this time, a wicked grin as she picked it up. One heave and he was drenched from head to foot in freezing cold water, his short black hair plastered to his forehead.

He flapped his arms a bit to try and dry himself before his sister stepped closer and hugged him tight. "Thanks, Val. You're the best brother really."

"Gee…thanks" he muttered as the light in the hall clicked on and their parents came.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They were fourteen now, both students at Hogwarts school, one in Gryffindor house, the other a Ravenclaw. They'd been at the school for some four years now and had made both friends and enemies among the student body of the school.

The girl was hurrying through the corridors, arms full of books. It was after dark and she was meant to be back in the common room by now. It had just been too cosy by the fire and the armchair had been comfy and oh… She'd fallen asleep.

She ran headlong into someone, careening off and falling on her butt painfully, her things spilling out over the floor. "Oh…damn." She scrambled to pick them up and the guy, no, guys, for there were three of them, helped her pick them up, loading them back into her arms. Three Slytherins, sixth or seventh years. They weren't meant to be the nice guys…

"Thanks." She made to push past them but one, their leader maybe, stuck out his arm, blocking her way. "Um…excuse me? Could you please move?"

Suddenly, the three guys didn't look so friendly. Their leader leered menacingly at her, leaning in close so their faces were almost touching. "You're Elyssia Ravenor, aren't you?"

She swallowed hard but nodded. She didn't like the way the other two were circling around, surrounding her. It was…intimidating.

"We've been hearing things about you, you know. Heard you're a bit of a fun girl, huh?"

"I don't really know what you mean…" Not entirely true but damn… These guys weren't really her type and it was late and… She tried to slip by but they weren't having it. "Really guys, not interested, whatever you mean."

"Not buying that." The guys behind her grabbed her, one at each arm. She struggled but they were strong. At a signal from their leader, they began to drag her towards the nearest guy's bathroom. Her screams were muffled by one of their hands. The front of her robes came off in another's.

The door was kicked open and she was hurled inside, landing hard. The main guy came at her first, hands grasping forward. She balled a fist and punched him solidly in the face, breaking his nose. He reeled back, clutching it as blood streamed down from it.

"You little bitch. Now you're going to get hurt." He whipped out his wand, aiming it at her heart. Elyssia reached into her robes to find her own missing. Shit… There was a flash of light and she closed her eyes tight. Then, when nothing happened, she opened them again.

The Slytherin leader seemed to have lowered his wand. There was a heavy shadow about him…a shadow gripping him around the throat from behind, choking the breath out of him. His two associates started, backing up as he collapsed to the floor, unconscious, barely breathing.

Valius Ravenor emerged into the pale moonlight, his face impassive except for the burning in his eyes. Despite being a fifth year, he had a greater build and muscle mass than the two seventh years, enough to intimidate even them. It helped when he was doing his prefect duties, adding weight behind each punishment. "School rule 12, gentlemen… No magic out of class at this time of night."

They opened their mouths to speak but his foot lashed out, breaking one's cheekbone and the second doubling over, winded from a blow to the gut. Valius gripped him by the hair, forcing his head up. "If you ever touch my sister…ever…I will kill you. Make no mistake."

He smashed the Slytherin's head into the nearest mirror and let him slide down to the floor before helping his twin to her feet. His expression had softened now he had dealt with them and was checking her over to ensure she was alright.

"I'm fine, Val, really." She managed a half-grin, even though her heart was still racing from what had almost happened there. "And that was really classy with the whole school rule line. Bit cheesy but…is that really the school rule 12?"

"Psst…how the hell would I know?" He put his arm around her shoulders, guiding her protectively back to her common room. "I totally just thought it up on the spot, alright?"

"Whatever, Val. Thank you for your help." She hugged her brother and slipped inside, pausing only to call back to him as he walked off. "I'll pay you back some time. Save you from some girls or something."

Despite himself, Valius grinned, waving carelessly back to her as he made his slow way back to his own common room.

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It was a stormy day, rain lashing the lone figure standing in the graveyard. Valius had stood there for…he didn't know how long. Too long… Not long enough… All he could see was the names of his parents engraved on the tombstones before him, the family crest etched into them, their dates of birth hand death listed below. They had caught the men responsible for their murder, an ambush on their anniversary as reprisal for some dark wizards his father had brought in a few months back.

Everyone else had gone, some after a few minutes, some after a few hours. He remained, still frozen to the spot, unable to do or think anything other than stay right here. The responsibility of the family was now solely upon him. At the age of 21, he had to look after the estate, take on the mantle of the Aurors and look after his younger relatives; his little sister, Regina, Sasha, Alexius, Briareos…even Alaric, that super-serious brat. Elyssia would help but…could he handle it? He didn't know…it was too sudden. This was never meant to have happened.

There was a crescendo as the rain intensified. His robes were already soaked through, his hair drenched and plastered to his brow. His body shivered from the cold and he knew that if he kept this up, it couldn't be good for his health. If he could just bring himself to go inside…but that would be to return home, to the family that had lost their final parental figures. He should have seen it, seen it through his foresight, his godforsaken powers that failed him when he needed them most.

Suddenly, the rain stopped…or at least stopped falling on him. Valius looked around to find Elyssia standing there, umbrella in hand and holding it over them both. She didn't say anything but leaned in close to him, head resting on his chest. What was there to say? Nothing… Even as the umbrella came apart under the constant bombardment of rain, they just stood there, by their parents' gravestones.

At a distance, two other figures watched them. One, a tall hooded man, cloaked in black and with his face concealed in darkness within his robes. It was the appearance he liked to wear when meeting people. It was the form he had worn when he had given those magic items to those three brothers a long time ago. He thought it had the right measure of intimidation and mystery.

The other man was shorter but broadly built, a black strip of cloth covering ruined eyes, wearing dark armour and carrying a magic blade loosely in one hand. A 33 year old Valius Ravenor watched a younger version of himself and his twin, face impassive and stoic.

"You know what I want. Her life for mine. It's a fair trade. Restore her life, let her live and I'll die in her place instead."

The faceless man looked around at him, regarding him curiously. When he spoke, it was with the voice of death, an icy leaden sound that at the same time felt as familiar as a lifelong friend. "If you die, the mission will fail. Janus Corvin will be victorious and crush the remaining opposition facing him. Britain will be entirely subjugated and prisoner to his sole whim and desire."

"Not necessarily. Alaric knows the plan and the others are strong. They could pull through without me. Even if not…it doesn't matter." Valius shook his head. "Elyssia can get the others and go abroad. Hide out somewhere else or even try and gain help from another nation to help us win the country back. Either way, if she survives, I'm not concerned. She's smart. If she's given a second chance, she'll get by."

"That's…a very selfish view, Valius Ravenor. You would sacrifice the lives of many other good men and women for your own sister's? I doubt even she would approve of that."

"What choice do I have? Since birth, we have been joined, by blood, by magic… I cannot go on if she dies. My spirit is…broken without her. Besides…what do you care? Our souls are the same. It's an even trade so you don't lose anything. Let's just get this over and done with."

The man laughed, a thousand voices laughing all at once. "You always are such a great conversationalist, Valius. But I will not be taking your soul just yet. It would seem…another is giving some of his own life to save yours. Isn't that generous?"

Valius started. "Who? Who's stupid enough to do that? Who even knows how to do that?"

"Who else? Your brother in arms, Matariel, of course. I believe he memorised the words and actions you did when casting the spell and copied them. He just happens to have enough control to not deplete his entire life force….unlike you. Quite a skilled wizard, indeed."

"But anyway…you did offer part of your soul to bring dear Elyssia back. Your devotion to her is…admirable, your judgement…perhaps needs a bit of work. But you are one of my most generous providers and so I shall…do this favour for you. I just have to transfer your part of your life force across to her and…"

The man gave a wave of his hand. There was a warm gust of wind and Valius felt himself turning on the spot, looking around as the storm suddenly vanished to reveal peaceful skies, warming sun and well…a perfect day. The graveyard faded away to leave rolling grassy hills and valleys. And walking slowly towards him was Elyssia, smiling that smile that had stolen so many hearts and charmed anyone she turned it on.

She came to a stop before him. Her hand was held out to him. "Time to go home, Val?"

"Sure." He took it, a faint smile of his own creasing his lips, and then they were gone. In the distance, the faceless man shook his head and walked off. He and Valius would have a different talk in future…but for now, that young man could still send many others his way before that time came.


	10. Twin Souls

She was alive. That was…quite a surprise to find out. Examining her thigh, the puncture mark where the needle had pierced her skin had almost healed over, leaving almost no trace of the wound that had almost killed her. Almost…more like 'should have'. Elyssia rolled over on her bed, staring out the window. It was dark, not just because it was almost nightfall. It was raining heavily, droplets striking the window and running down the glass. Somehow it seemed to invoke some deep memories within her, a graveyard…their parents…

She rolled over again. The lights were out and she lay in the shadows, thinking. Val…her stupid brother…what was he thinking? How could he have got that close to killing himself to try and bring her back. She was not worth that… People needed him so much more. He could make a difference in this world. She…well, she tried to help when she could.

And then there was Matariel…halfway through the spell, he had realised that Val intended to give her all his life…and had proceeded to give up part of his life to keep her brother live. Why he had done that, she didn't know either. He had said it was because they still had a score to settle. Somehow she didn't believe him.

They all had their own issues to settle. Now would be a great time to, since in a bit longer, they might all be dead. When Kara had woken up finally, Alaric had made a point to go see her. They were now working things out between them in the other room. Kara really was something… Alaric never talked, let alone work things out with people.

There was a knock at the door. Elyssia rolled off her bed and bounded over to it, feeling a new kind of life in her now. Her body felt lighter, freer. She might even say she felt more powerful even if that made no sense. She opened the door to find Eva waiting there, a plate of food in her hand.

"Hey." It had been Eva who had found the three of them in the secret chamber under the house. From what she'd seen, the other woman had been just as grief-stricken as the rest of her family, when they'd thought her dead, immediately becoming boundless joy to find her returning to them.

She held the plate of food out to her, which she took gratefully, finding a sudden stomach rumbling. "You missed dinner and Regina had made something special for you for your…recovery. It's quite good too."

Elyssia smiled and prodded a piece of meat with her fork. A warming beef stew with mash potatoes…her favourite. Trust Regina… She went to sit down on her bed, crossing her legs and eating. Eva came to sit down next to her.

"I still haven't gotten around to thanking Matariel yet." Elyssia swallowed a mouthful and gazed off into the distance while Eva looked puzzled for a moment. "You know…he saved Val's life today. The damn idiot almost killed himself today trying to save me. All our lives, he's had to be there looking out for me, stepping in whenever I got in trouble and bailing me out whenever I needed it. He's already put a lifetime's worth of effort into me… I should be the one saving his life to try and start evening the score."

Eva laughed. "You know…we really aren't that different. Neither are Mat and Valius in that sense. I can't say I'd still be around if he wasn't pulling my ass out of the fire every five minutes. But yeah…whatever Matariel says, he and Val are still brothers, despite what's gone on between them. I don't get them… Guys, right?"

"Guys, indeed." Despite her brooding mood, Elyssia managed a grin, setting aside her plate and standing up, stretching out wide to loosen up her muscles. Once again, her body felt so much stronger, her limbs so much more energised. Damn…she was even bouncing on the spot now. "So…shall we go down to see the others? Val said he was going to start the briefing about now and I know he doesn't want me involved…but it's good to be informed, right?"

Eva nodded and followed her out, across the landing and down the stairs to the now-cleared living room where a number of witches and wizards were gathering to plan how to bring down a Ministry.

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The living room was made as one of the largest rooms in the Ravenor estate yet somehow it was full, crowded by the people who had come at Val's behest to prepare to give their lives for the greater good…or what Val said was the greater good. They were going to take on the Ministry of Magic, complete the task dark wizards had planned for so long, to drag down the primary bastion of wizarding power in the country and replace it. And yet here they were, ready to listen to Val's plans on how this would be done.

Sasha and Regina, too young and far too innocent to be involved in any of this, were upstairs, kept away from this meeting. Briareos and Alexius were present though, looking slightly out of place in the gathering of warriors. Alaric was behind them, leaning against a wall, arms crossed and brooding, back to his old self. Val himself was nowhere in sight to complete the Ravenor strength. She went to seat herself next to her two youngest cousins, the two guys looking surprised but budging up for her, unwilling to dispute her presence.

Along the length of one wall, the Ishvals stood, all robed in black and looking like the very dark wizards they were going to be fighting. It was not hard to understand the looks of distrust and menace the Zodiacs threw their way, the eight figures keeping hands near their wands. They all had hardened expressions on their faces, even Aurelia and Alexia, all sense of playfulness absent for the moment. Eva went to stand with her brothers, evening the sides up slightly.

Adam McFarlin, a guy Elyssia knew to be an old school friend of Sasha's was here as was the ex-Minister for Magic, Claire Vindictus. What the hell was she doing here? Not that she minded… The ex-Minister was…quite stunning, long blonde hair and long tanned legs showing where her long dress was slit up the side. She had two people in tow too, one large looking guy who she figured to be a bodyguard and a smaller woman, looking way too young and scared to really need to be here.

And at last, Val came. Her twin brother, Val, but also Valius Ravenor, commander of Aurors and master of the Zodiac unit, the ultimate warrior who had returned from death to lead the resistance to crush both the dark wizards who had taken hold of the country and the Ministry who were allied with them, all in one solid strike at the heart of it all.

But damn…it broke her heart to see him looking like that. Val moved to the head of the room, each pace slow and drawn out as if it pained him just to do such a simple motion. He stopped next to her, looking around to offer her a weak smile, which she hastened to return. Even though he looked away then, she couldn't forget his face, the way it had changed.

He had…aged, aged dramatically. He was only thirty three but he looked far older, his hair had turned grey, streaked with silver. His skin was rougher and more lined, deep impressions etched in to his face. His whole bearing was that of a man who had lived twice the lifetime he should have. It was all Elyssia could do to stop crying. This was what he had sacrificed for her to still be here. When he spoke, his voice was more gravely, more of a growl than ever. Still…it bore the weight of command and all eyes turned to face him as he took control of the situation.

"All of you…settle down now. We have enough people out there who want to kill us all and we don't need to be helping them now. Bastards, they may be, but they are not wholly incompetent. We've learnt that to our cost…"

There was a pause for silence, especially among the Zodiacs. There was only one reason a Zodiac wouldn't report in when their commander called them. The two absences were very noticeable suddenly. After all they had been through, it was hard to believe anything could kill one of them…and now two were gone in one go. They'd died and she'd almost died. The gravity of the situation couldn't have been spelled out to Elyssia more apparently.

"Soon they'll know that their attack here failed, as soon as their troops fail to report in. They'll know we're going to be coming for them and even now are drawing back all their troops into the Ministry to protect their…leaders. We need them all in one place so we can finally put a stop to them…both the corrupt Ministry officials and dark wizards we've been unable to stamp out over the years."

Val was pacing, back and forth as he spoke, hands clasped behind his back, stronger now he was more in his element. "The strike force will be split into two halves; the assault team and the rescue team. Both will breach the Ministry together and then separate to pursue their individual objectives. The teams will be lead by myself and Alaric. The assault team will be taking on the majority of the opposing force, driving towards the central command situated in the Minister's chambers. The rescue team will be making their way down to the dungeons, where the prisoners are being held. Claire can explain further perhaps?"

The ex-Minister glided forward, moving with feline grace to where Val stood, the latter inclining his head in a slight bow as he gave her the floor. A long time ago, it had been her who had cleared him to return to active duty. It had also been her who had given him his orders before leaving office, the warrant to do whatever it took for the good of the nation. Beyond his family and his unit, Elyssia knew that his loyalty to Claire Vindictus was absolute.

The woman swept a curtain of golden hair over her shoulder before speaking, her sultry voice contrasting drastically with Val's. "As you know, not all the Aurors and law enforcement agents did not turn under Corvin's command. They're being held in the dungeons under a stasis lock; frozen in time by mass magic fields and stored down there. According to my sources, they're guarded by some of Octavis' inner circle and a number of dark wizards, some needing to maintain the magic field. If we can kill them, the magic fields should drop and our troops will be free."

"That will be the objective of the rescue team." Claire stepped aside to let Val speak again now she was done. "But first, the primary breaching of the Ministry. As you know, for countless generations, the Ministry has managed to hold firm against wizarding attacks, designed to repel enemy forces again and again."

"However…having been in charge of the security of well…everything concerning the Ministry for the past years, I've been privy to more of the finer details than any assailant so far. Furthermore, in anticipation of this eventual assault on our own fortress, I prepared a few devices built in to the very structure of the building that should give us an edge in the coming fight."

"The first is a hellstorm spell that should deal with a large number of troops waiting for us within the Atrium. We'll activate a warp seal on the building so no one can escape and then we'll attack."

"They'll respond quickly, sending reinforcements to the last known position of the enemy, being the Atrium, most likely in large numbers. At that point, I'll activate the temporal shift. Few of you will know what this is, other than the Zodiacs. It was an essential aspect of our training, something that allowed us to be trained within the allotted time period. Basically, it will compress a period of time in to a shorter duration and seem to almost slow down time for those unaccustomed to its effects. The Zodiacs will go in first and deal out as much damage as we can while the enemy is off-foot. The effects of the spell will exhaust in approximately thirty seconds at which point the rest of you follow in."

"Now…the primary targets…" Val produced his wand from within his robes and, with a flick, cast the ghostly images of a number of figures before the assembled group. "Each one of them must be eliminated, using whatever means you can bring to bear. There's the Minister, Janos Corvin. I will deal with him personally. The others…the head of Law Enforcement, Turel Skeith, the head of the Aurors, Kain Octavis, and his primary inner circle. Alaric can deal with Avialle Ronsenberg in the Department of Mysteries."

"Furthermore, we should expect to face the heads of both the dark wizard factions and the mercenary Aurors rangers the Minister has hired. Obviously they'll have a full compliment of soldiers under their command, a minimum of three hundred and maximum of six hundred plus. Once we free the loyalist forces, we should have the advantage in numbers and then we can defeat them all."

"I won't lie to you and I know you wouldn't believe I if I told you that we'd all walk away from this. Some of us, maybe many of us will die in this coming battle. I've called you here because I have relied on you in the past or have believed you capable of assisting us. However, if any man or woman does not wish to accompany us, they are free to go and no ill wishes will follow them. Anyone uncomfortable or wish to back out of the mission?"

Silence. No one moved, didn't even blink. Every single person here was committed. Frightening commitment in Elyssia's opinion. It was like…walking into certain death with the slimmest of chances of actually being one of the few to get through this. But despite that fact, Elyssia knew that she would be going. She had to be there for her brother, couldn't stay at home and wait to see if he would come back. If she had to kill, she would do it to stand at Val's side and protect him instead for a change.

"Very well… The assault team will be lead by me and further be comprised of Matariel, Bardiel and Sachiel with support from Tereus, Alicia, Aurelia and Alexia. Claire and her people will be with us as well. Alaric will lead the rescue team with support from Kesian, Glaedr, Harlon, Kairi, Briareos, Alexius and Raziel. Adam…you will have to help your cousin, Amelia. Team A remain here, while team B go assemble in the dining room for your final mission briefings. Alaric will issue you with any kit you need. Everyone needs to be ready and report to the front lawn by 04.00 hours. That's all."

The assembled people dispersed, some moving to close knit groups to talk to themselves, others moving off to prepare themselves for the battle that might be the end for them all. But even then, there was no sense of dread or despair as they readied themselves, all seeming to possess new energy now they had a definite mission ahead of them. Everyone was on the move…except for her and Eva. The other woman met her gaze and then turned, in synchrony, to lock on to the backs of their twins, leaving out the other door.

This wasn't going to happen. Val was not going to leave her behind and go off to battle this time without her. She would stick by him this time. She would kill for him, to ensure he came back safely. He was not going to be lost to her again. Elyssia caught Val just on the other side, hand on his shoulder and spinning him around, Eva's actions almost identical on Matariel's.

"Val…you're not leaving me behind, damn it. I can't stay here, waiting to hear if you've died or not. It almost killed me when you faked your own death. You don't know the pain I went through, believing you to be gone. I can't know…believe you're gone again until I see it with my own eyes."

Val was looking down at her, hands resting on her shoulders as he lowered his face to hers. "Ely…you can't come with us. The dangers are too great. I can't let you come into harm's way again, especially when the risks are this high."

"Damn it, Val. Don't you get it? That's exactly why I have to come with you. The dangers are just so fucking great. I'm not going to stand by and let you walk off to your death when there's something I can do to help."

"You can't help, Ely! You're a non-combatant. You've never been the best at fighting and this is going to be a battle in which even seasoned veterans will die. I've already lost two of my unit; both battle-hardened warriors who have lived through almost a decade of constant war. You…you're too delicate, too fragile. This is not where you belong…" He turned, starting to walk away from her. It took all her effort not to lunge after him and cling to his legs. But she had to stop him…couldn't just let him leave her behind.

Val was almost out of the room when a bottle flashed past his head, brushing his ear. It shattered against the wall, spilling its contents out over the floor. "Ely…?"

"Listen to me, Val. One way or another, I'm coming with you." She could feel it now, that new surge of energy that had been pulsating within her body as she marched right up to her twin, fists curling around the collar of his robes and shoving him back against the wall, eyes boring into his face. "I don't care if I die if it means that it's at your side when this all ends. I'll kill for you, to keep you safe as you've always done for me."

"We're twins, joined in blood and soul." Her hand pressed against his chest, right over his heart. There was a strong steady beat there. It was the same as her own. Now she knew what it was that gave this new strength. When Val had used his life to save hers, part of his very essence had entered her body, his spirit revitalising the parts of her that were too far gone to save. The warrior's soul had been instilled within her own.

"Where one goes, the other must follow. All your life you've fought, Val, for both me and you. I can…feel all you've been through…and it's time that I shared your burden properly. Whatever fate awaits you at the Ministry will be for both of us. That…is what I foresee."

There was a hush, as she just kept standing there, staring deep into Val's face, his expression surprised by her outburst. Then his features softened, bowing his head. "Damn, Ely… You're really serious about this. Alright…if I can't stop you coming then the least you can do is stick close to Alaric. You'll be close but when it comes to Corvin, I have to do that alone. Is that alright?"

"Alright." She hugged Val tight, burying her face in his chest so that the tears she'd been holding back were soaked into his robes. She was shivering slightly, the pent-up frustration finally reaching her outward appearance. Elyssia felt him pull her tight, hugging her carefully but warmly back.

No…they would survive this, both of them, if they only stuck together. Holding Val so close to her, she swore that to herself, swore it to all things held dear to her. They would survive… Of that she was certain.


	11. No Regrets

It was early morning…very early morning. The sun had yet to rise and the chill morning mist still hung heavy in the air. Valius sat up in bed. A slight groan from his side made him look down to find Eva Ishval there, long dark hair cascading over her bare skin. In bed with the enemy, indeed. Well who really cared anymore… They could all be dead by sundown that day and Eva had had the same intentions in mind late during the night.

She rolled over and looked at him with those deep brown eyes of hers. Her hands pulled the sheets up to her chest, hiding her perfect, toned form. "Is it time already, Valius?"

He nodded, sliding out of bed and starting to get dressed. Eva began doing the same, slipping her lithe form into a black bodyglove, pulling it snugly around her body. They changed in silence, focussing on the task of just getting clothes on for now. Now that the moment was over, they both remembered what awaited them.

"Do you think we're going to survive this?" Valius looked around at her. She had that look; concern, slight worry… He had to remember she wasn't a soldier. Hell…she was just like Ely in that respect; another twin sister who just wasn't going to let her brother walk into the jaws of death without being right there at his side all the way. Damn stubborn sisters…

But still…she was capable. She had been fighting at her brother's side ever since he had had to be on the run…because Valius hadn't let him go so long ago, not lied and said he'd been killed during the mission, fighting the men they were there to arrest. The hardships Eva Ishval and the rest of her family had to suffer were all his fault.

And those hardships were visible on her body, when it had been exposed to him, old and healed scars marring her smooth skin. The feline grace of each of her movements gave away a history of training, the subtle tensing of her body and precise, firm motions.

"I can't promise you anything, Eva. All we can do is fight hard and kill them before they kill us. We're fighting for something greater than just ourselves; for other's freedom, for the greater good…for the ones we care about. It'll give us an edge that the other side lacks."

"Fighting for something, huh?" Eva mused that over to herself. She sat there, on the end of his bed, curling a lock of hair around her finger idly. She inclined her head in his direction, a curious expression playing across her features. "Would you fight for me, Valius?"

He nodded. "I would."

"Then I'll be fighting for you too, give me another reason to keep on going. Maybe that'll be enough incentive to get us both back out of this alive?"

"Maybe… Just maybe." He returned her smile, her charming, lovely smile. There was genuine affection in her expression. He hadn't known her for very long, hell, only a day, but he felt…something towards her, just something. Yes…he would fight for her too. If he fought hard enough, they'd all come out of this and they'd sort out what was happening between them then. Until then…they had a job to do.

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They were like ghosts as the assault party marched out on to the front lawn of the Ravenor estate. They were all assembled there, the Ravenors, the Ishvals, Zodiac unit and the few Ministry members who remained free to fight for the freedom of their friends and family. Valius looked them over. They were as prepared as they could be, both in mind and body. If they were going to make a move, now was the best time to do so. Regina and Sasha were there to see them off. He hugged each of them in turn, exchanging a few words of comfort for what it was worth, promising to be back soon. Kara and Alaric did the same, heads inclined close together.

Valius' new set of black robes rippled in the wind, fastened over his mage-weave armour, sword strapped across his back and wand holstered at his side. A number of dark wizard hunting devices were stuffed into his webbing pouches across his torso and his belt. Clenching and unclenching his fists gave a crunch of metal as his heavy gauntleted hands flexed. A fresh strip of black cloth was bound across his eyes, the rune of seeing sewn in red in the centre. He was ready. To do his duty as he had always done.

His gaze met others of those around him, exchanging a nod or gesture in silence. The eyes of the Zodiacs were turned to him. They knew that this would be the hardest fight they had ever been through. The absence of the stress-relieving jokes of Ulrek Hayl and the dour noncommittal nature of Samuval Hauvlon before a mission were very noticeable. Each looked grim, eyes focussed in readiness for what awaited them. If death met them, it would run away in fear of what they were capable of doing at that moment.

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They were like ghosts as the scouts advanced. Without his mage sight, the twin figures of Kairi Saito and Amelia McFarlin would be invisible to him as began the infiltration of the Ministry of Magic. In the darkness of the unrisen sun, the stealth specialists of Zodiac unit split from the main assault party, who remained in the shadows of the surrounding buildings in the deserted streets. All around him, Valius could feel the resolve of the people with him, each fully committed to the task ahead of them; the assault on the Ministry and the elimination of the heads of departments, along with every last dark wizard gathered here. After years of trying to track them down to their own lairs, it was at the heart of wizarding security where they were to be finally locked down and annihilated.

So long ago, when Claire Vindictus had called him to her office to issue him with her last command, he had foreseen an undertaking such as this. But even so, it was…unnerving to acknowledge that it was him that was attacking the Ministry of Magic, to be killing other Aurors and the leaders of the Ministry. Corvin and Octavis' deaths were a long time coming but the lower ranks down. Could they be regretting their decision to stand with them now they saw how far the two would go to gain power; torturing fellow Aurors, enslaving civilians and actively siding with dark wizards and letting them within their own walls?

It had been easy to kill the Aurors who had been hurting Amelia. Unbound rage and a sense of vengeance fuelled his muscles as he took them out. It had been easy to fight against the Auror rangers from America, defending himself against a force as aggressive and skilful as his own unit. And then the dark wizards who had attacked the Ravenor estate, had tried to harm his little sister, Sasha and Elyssia…he had no mercy for them. He knew what would happen to them if he had not fought and the results never to come to pass had lent strength to each swing of his magic blade that severed the souls from the bodies of his enemies.

He didn't usually have these thoughts, these considerations as to who stood against him, whether the person before him was wholly evil or only following orders. It had always been about getting the job done and forgetting about it later. It was strange to feel these emotions, so alien to him. Where had they come from all of a sudden?

There was a shuffling at his side and he looked around to find Elyssia there, wrapped in dark robes and wearing the mage-weave armour under it. Her black hair was tied back in a ponytail to give her unobstructed vision, her eyes sharp and narrowed beneath, watching for the signal. He had never seen her so ready to get into a fight… Something about her had changed since the spell he had cast to bring her back…and changed with him too. Another balance, their souls entwined still further, a part residing in the other's body.

Elyssia noticed him looking at her and gave him a reassuring smile, her look of concentration dropping for a moment. No, this was still his twin, Ely; A few less passive nuances about her but still Elyssia Ravenor through to the core. When this as all over she could go back to her normal life and everything would be alright.

There was a whisper in his ear, a gust of wind carrying Amelia's voice to him. "Val…everything's as you saw. They're all geared up in here for a frontal assault, about three score troops of about fifty/fifty dark wizards and law enforcement agents, waiting in the atrium. That bastard, Tanis Dante, is with them too. One of Octavis' inner circle guys, right?"

"Right. Is the trap set?"

"Yes, sir."

"Activate it."

"Affirmative."

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Valius leapt through the burning gateway, taking out one burning man and bisecting another as he came charging at him, arms outstretching and screaming horribly. All around him, the atrium was in flames, the golden statues that had adorned the centre with a depiction of racial harmony reduced to molten slag by the intensity of the blast that had gone off, taking out the enemy stationed here in wait. Bodies littered the vast chamber, scattered around, blackened and smoking from the force of the hellfire trap he had prepared so long ago. They didn't look different at all now; traitor law enforcement agents and the dark wizards. All just charred figures in black-singed robes.

The Zodiacs fanned out, Valius in the centre, sword drawn and raised in a guard. Alaric mirrored him, advancing a metre to his right. Kesian was to his immediate left, wand raised and face set. The twins were behind him, ready as support fire. Harlon and Alicia were close by Tereus as backup, making up for the permanent absence of Ulrek and Samuval, who had been killed back at Origin. Members of Zodiac unit could never be replaced. Their loss would be…'was' missed deeply, reflected in a way only another of the unit could read in their stoic manner.

But, as predicted, there was the back-up. Running fast through well-drilled practice Valius himself had insisted on back in the day, another fifty odd law enforcement agents arrived, wands blazing. At their head, Sangius Harker, another of Octavis' inner circle, led them, power blazing in his hands as his wand slashed, rending the air before him and sending the Zodiac units diving for cover. Even as they went to ground, more enemies appeared, summoned with all haste by Harker. Now was time for the next part of the plan.

"Glaedr…?"

A magic gate warped into existence in the rear wall behind them. Energies ripped out of it, engulfing the entire hall in its baleful spell; a spell of time. The attacking law enforcement agents skidded to a halt, some dropping to their knees, clutching their heads in agony, others retching violently. Even as the Zodiacs, oblivious to the magic, surged forward, blades and wands bared, the heavy support Glaedr had organised arrived.

With Glaedr mounted on top, a fully-grown Hungarian Horntail burst from the gate, flames drooling from its mouth. One breath and a gout of flames engulfed a squad of twelve men, slaying half instantly and burning the others to death. Its tail lashed out, hardened spines ripping through one rank, then another as it flicked back the other way. The corrupted law enforcement agents were just coming back to their senses when the Zodiac force hit their lines.

His fingers ran along the flat length of his blade, the engraved runes blazing to life with internal fire. Valius swept it around, two-handed, beheading the first two men before him, ducking under a curse and reversing his stroke, stabbing backwards to impale the third attacker.

Magic-enhanced senses made him drop and spin, blade coming around in a guard. Energy exploded off it, fending off the curse aimed at him. The marble beneath his feet cracked under the force of the spell. His wand dropped in to his hand with a flick of his wrist. His counter spell blasted a fist-sized hole through the woman who'd almost got the drop of him.

All around him, the Zodiacs had closed in with their enemy, negating the advantage of spell range and setting about with their knives, wands flashing furiously in webs of protective light, immediately shifting to streak out and slay their attackers. Kesian formed a solid, unmoveable wedge with Tereus and Harlon, forcing their way through the centre of the enemy's defence. Along the edges, Kairi and Amelia seemed to slip between the law enforcement agents, weaving and ducking, their knives reaping a bloody toll as they went on and on killing. The twins were there, led by Alaric, guarding the others' backs, wands and blades beating back attack after attack.

They each fought with the single-minded thought of survival through killing anyone that stood in their way, going that step further than the enemy was prepared to push to overcome them. On top of that, the pain of loss had been renewed in them with the deaths of Samuval and Ulrek. Each had their own debt of blood to be repaid in kind now. The halls of the Ministry would have to run red before honour and vengeance was satisfied.

There was a surge of reinforcements, dark wizards and law enforcement agents, coming charging down the front steps, leading from deeper within the Ministry. The chanting of several necromancers within their ranks and the corpses of the slain started to crawl back to their feet, crawling with yet-to-decay hands. The face of the man Valius had just killed gripped his ankle, trying to pull him down. His boot stamped down, crushing the Inferi's skull, shattering it to fragments beneath the skin.

'Oh great. Now we've really got their attention', he grimaced inwardly. His plan really was just that good. A very large portion of the enemy forces were pouring out of every possible gap and shadow. There were howls as turned werewolves came charging out from the ranks of dark wizards, bounding forward with razor-sharp teeth bared. The air began to chill as dementors swept down from above, black robed angels of death, bearing every dark memory and experience in their wake. But Valius' team was not alone anymore…

A roar echoed off the vaulted ceiling as a black leopard, burning with silver light, bounded past Valius, springing into the air and ripping a hole in the blanket of darkness created by the dementors, a newly risen moon in the blackness. Claire Vindictus came behind it, wand raised and her whole form alive with magical energy. Her followers were close behind, five of them, guarding their mistress' back and fighting with all the ferocity of the Zodiacs themselves. In their wake, the others charged in to the battle; the Ishval family, Matariel leading them, his own magically-enchanted sword cleaving a swathe through the Inferi and shattering them asunder. Following up came Valius' younger cousins, their faces set, mouths wide open in shouts as jets of light leapt from their wands. Lastly came Elyssia and Eva. The horror in their eyes at the carnage before them failed to extend to their bodies, already in motion, charging forward with wands blazing.

Matariel had appeared at Valius' side his sword stained dark with blood. He managed to offer him a nod before they both surging forward to press the advantage of surprise with a bloody assault into the heart of the enemy. Crimson liquids splashed across his face as Valius struck left and right, felling dark wizards and traitors with each blow of his sword. Wands were cloven in half, magic shields disintegrating before the nullifying effects of his blade. Fanatics drove forward, forcing themselves on to his blade, the handle being wrenched out of his hand as the heavy body of the dark wizard he'd impaled fell away.

His attackers closed all around him, now disarmed, clawing at him, wands stabbing in his direction. Matariel was forced away from him, separated by a wall of bodies as they were swamped. Valius gritted his teeth in concentration, struggling against clinging limbs as devastating spells ripped towards him. Opening his hand, he pushed outwards, deflecting the first two curses aside and pulling one of his restrainers between him and the magical energies. The body disintegrated before him and he lashed out with a boot to knock the others back.

Valius punched a man hard in the jaw, breaking his neck, blocking another spell and redirecting it back at the law enforcement agent. The man rolled aside…and was immediately crushed as one of the guard trolls, the Ministry were rumoured to keep in the dungeons below, stamped forward to engage him.

"Shit…" He dived aside as a meaty fist demolished the ground where he'd been standing. He was forced to dodge left and right to avoid the heavy swipes that killed enemies on either side of him and then duck as the dark wizards continued to pour fire at him. Valius' wand came out and he took aim for the troll's eyes. This was shit…and it looked pathetic, his small wand against the gigantic mass of the creature. Its hands were locked together to deliver a hammer blow to crush him in one go.

Then its head lolled sideways and fell off. Valius rolled back to avoid being crushed by the body and looked up to see Elyssia standing on its prone form, his sword resting over her shoulder. She leapt down as spells shot her way and ran over to him. The sword was pressed in to his hands, still slick with troll blood. "Drop something, Val? So clumsy…"

She was grinning. Valius gave her a quick hug and pulled her back behind him as the dark wizards closed in again, moving around the massive corpse to get at them. Sword slicing their way through the enemy, they forced a path back to the main party, now fending off attacks from all corners. They all looked like hell, torn robes, bloodied skin, some supporting others just to stand. Somehow, Kesian had lost his right hand, wand clutched unfamiliarly in his left. Harlon was nowhere to be seen and he didn't need to ask where he was.

Valius moved to Alaric, tapping him on the shoulder and giving a few hand signals. His younger cousin nodded and moved to get his team together. With a charge, the rescue team began to force their way towards the dungeons, covered by members of the assault team. Valius pushed Elyssia along, guarding her until at the door down to the dungeons.

"Take care, Ely." He gave her hand a tight squeeze before shoving her through the door after Alaric and the others as another onrush of traitors came at them. Somehow, they had managed to slay Glaedr's dragon and she appeared at his side, expression wild and seething at the loss of her old friend. He slapped her on the shoulder to get her moving with the rescue team before she was gripped by the urge to stand here and start dealing out her payback rather than follow the mission. She gave him a blank, unseeing glance before hurrying off. She was usually so focussed… This mission really was fucking them all over badly.

Matariel appeared at his side again, breathing hard, hand clamped over a wound in his shoulder that was streaming blood down his side. He gave Valius a nod before turning his eyes back to the steadily advancing horde, stepping cautiously over the bodies of their slain comrades. Most wouldn't have conceived that so few people could manage such carnage…but that was a Valius special.

He looked left and right. His team were there, weapons readied; Matariel had his two brothers on either side of him, all with killing expressions fixed on their faces, just burning to engage with the enemy again now they were getting their own back. He allowed Alicia to slap a bandage around his wound while Tereus guarded her back, wand crackling with energies waiting to be unleashed. The twins were right by the door, prepared to stop any comers from following the rescue team down below. They were both worn and beaten but wouldn't give an inch of ground until they were both dead.

Valius felt a caressing finger run along his shoulder blades and he looked around to find Claire Vindictus standing there, vampiric fangs exposed and whole body seething with power. Her followers hung back as she moved to his side. Her blonde hair was tinged with streaks of red…blood. Somehow, it suited her, added to her overall nature. Her lips curled into her typical seductive grin as she looked over at him.

"Is this the way you planned it all to go, Valius?"

"Err…of course it is." He cast his gaze around. The entire atrium was packed, wall to wall with summoned dark wizards, corrupt law enforcement agents and Inferi, all marching side by side. Mounds of bodies were strewn everywhere. Sometime during the fighting, Valius had managed to kill Harker so that was a result. Whatever the outcome of this mission, they had taught the enemy fear and sent a decent number to the otherside.

"Shall we?" Gripping his sword two-handed, he charged, his team at his side. They struck the front rank like a thunderball and the killing began anew. Cleaving his way through the enemy, Valius had no regrets. If he were to die, it would be for what he had always stood for; supreme and immutable justice. Well…then again, it'd be nice to survive this too. If only Alaric and his group could free their own troops below. Well, his little cousin was going to have to hurry up or he'd be feeling the wrath of Elyssia's boot up his ass for a very long time.


	12. Killing Instinct

Elyssia had been so nervous before leaving the house. She was going to fight, going to kill. And she knew she would do so when the time came, to fight for the cause and to fight for Val. And it was the thought of what she was capable of that frightened her. No hesitation, no second thoughts… When it came to action, she would do what she had to. She could feel it in her blood, in her…soul.

Having hugged Sasha and Regina goodbye, whispering a few words of comfort to them, she had marched outside with the others, suddenly feeling the rush of adrenaline that filled the rest of the group, an eagerness to get to the fighting and carry out the mission. For all the stoic and resolute expressions on the faces of those around her, there was that underlying sensation of battle-lust that was even now infecting her. Her wand kept slipping in to her hand, her arm performing practice flicks and stabs automatically. In her mind, spells and incantations ran unceasingly, counters and blocks, shields and devastating attacks she couldn't remember ever having learnt.

A black bodyglove wrapped snugly around her form and her hair was tied back in a long ponytail. Her wand holstered at her side and Val's 'present' was stashed above her butt, fixed to her belt. He had given it to her, pressing it in to her hands and told her to use it if she needed to. She was all prepared, armed. There had been no hesitation as Val ordered them all to move out. Elyssia followed the others as they disapparated one by one, heading for the Ministry where some, maybe all, of them might never return.

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It had been chaos, fighting all around her. The atrium had been filled with men and women battling back and forth with each other, not so much a wizarding duel but a full-out bloodbath. There was no riposting and countering, dancing back and forth against a single enemy or even two. It was pure battle, killing the enemy as fast as possible so the next one could be taken out, each opponent only there to be crushed to the floor beneath before moving on. Elyssia barely knew what she was doing most of the time, her body working on her newfound instinct. It knew battle…it revelled in it.

A man came charging at her, wand unleashing a stream of magical darts at her. A flick of her wrist knocked them aside before a return swipe removed his head, an arc of energy flaring from the end of her wand. She kicked another man in the gut, reversing her wand and stabbing down into the back of his neck that punched a hole through his spine. She felt a hand land on her shoulder and spun around to face her new attacker but had a split second of seeing Matariel's face before he pulled her down, a spell crackling over her head. A sweep of his sword and a body crumpled at their feet.

"Thanks, I…" She started to say but then a fresh surge of dark wizards were closing in and he was being forced away from her, only the flashes of his blade above their heads identifying where he was. She was about to take a step forward when there was a roar and some massive creature came striding through the throngs on people, fists smacking anyone out of the way who was foolish enough to be there. A troll…a mountain troll, armoured in beaten metal plates and goaded into a killing rage by some sort of jolting spell. But it wasn't that which filled her with dread. It was that it was bearing down on Valius and he wasn't looking very armed.

Where the hell was his weapon? Oh god damn… A troll…and the dark wizards all around him were still firing spells at him left, right and centre. Somehow he was still alive, his prenatural command of instant foresight allowing him to evade some just before they landed and flicking others away with his hands, his mastery of wandless magic now paying off as the corrupt Ministry threw everything they had to him to try and crush their greatest enemy.

There. Valius' sword was protruding from a mound of corpses, driven through the meat of two bodies. Some of the corrupt law enforcement agents had tried to seize it, maybe to turn it against its master but the blade kept erupting into flames, engulfing those who tried, becoming unmarked and cool in an instant later. Val needed that sword and she could get it to him.

With a scream, she hurled herself forward, punching and kicking people out of her way. Her wand slashed left and right, hacking aside limbs and throwing shielded people away from her as she charged for the sword. She reached it, hand stretching out for the handle. It was a test of faith; that it wouldn't burn her the way it had the others. Her fingers wrapped around the icy cool leather grip and she wrenched it from. At once, the length of the blade became wreathed in energy, casting a baleful light upon those around her.

"Come on, you bastards!" She spat at them, chopping left and right with the unfamiliar weapon. Valius could wield it with great dexterity and finesse…but at that moment, she only needed it as a meat cleaver. Wand shoved in to a pouch bound to her thigh, she ran forward, cleaving a bloody path through the enemy ranks. She didn't even pause to think as she bounded up the troll's hunched back from behind, hand clawing for hand holds on the armour plating. Astride its neck, she could see the entire battlefield, the atrium littered with the bodies of the dead and the masses of combatants still reaping bloody tolls on both sides. And below her, Valius had drawn his wand to try and, in vain, fend off the full weight of a troll's hammer blow.

Somehow, she didn't drop the weapon as it spun in her hands, now angled downwards. Raising it high above her head, she drove down, burying the sword deep in to the creature's neck, the magical energies surrounding the blade allowing it to punch through iron-hard skin coating like a hot knife through butter. A pirouette on the spot and the sword swept across, cleaving the head from the body. It fell, her riding it down. There was a crunch as a dozen or so men were crushed beneath its bulk.

Elyssia leapt off, landing lightly on her feet, Valius' blood-stained sword resting on her shoulder. The shock on Val's face was…quite priceless. She was grinning, despite the situation, despite the killing all around them and the reality of how close death could be lurking around the corner for them. It just amused her to see her brother so surprised to see her.

"Drop something, Val? So clumsy…" She pushed the sword into his hands, returning it to the master. It felt good when he hugged her tight, that split reassuring second that reminded her of what they were all fighting for. Then he was dragged her along, pushing her in to cover behind the massive body of the troll. He cut a man down and she stabbed another in the face with her wand, light blasting the dark wizard's head off.

Then they were moving, charging for the main group. It was all a blur. They were back with their own people, the door to the dungeons was blown open, the rescue team hurrying through. She could feel Val's hand around hers. A tight squeeze and then she was being forced after the rescue party, his words ringing in her ears. "Take care, Ely."

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Her heart was pounding, breath coming in short gasps. Elyssia skidded on a wet patch, slipping to her knees. Struggling to her feet, she realised that it was a pool of blood, oozing from the dead body of some dark wizard who'd been standing in the way as the way of the Zodiacs leading the group through the narrow winding corridors. Alaric had come running back to check on her, sword in hand, but Elyssia could already feel hands grip her and pull her to her feet. Eva gave her a smirk and shoved her along to start running again. Her little cousin hefted his blade and began sprinting to the head of their party again. He was taking his orders to look after her seriously.

Together, the two twin sisters followed them through a low archway, emerging into a vast cavernous chamber that could only exist by magic. Two sentries stood guard at the entrance. Neither had a chance to react before the twins pounced on them, stabbing simultaneously into their spines. As one, the rescue party fanned out along the ledge overlooking the cavarn.

They were yet unnoticed. Elyssia paused to stare, mouth opening slightly in horror. Rows upon rows of bodies stood, almost as if in rank, frozen, men and women wearing the uniforms of Aurors and Law Enforcement agents. There must've been near a thousand of them, all held in stasis, unable to move or even know that help was finally here. But they were not unable to know pain.

Looking closely, Elyssia could see the ones nearest to her had expressions of the greatest torment imprinted on their face, silent screams that torn at her heart. As she watched, there was pulsation of light and energy seemed to be torn from their bodies, drawn towards a vast cauldron set on a platform in the centre of the chamber, surrounded by other dark artefacts. A small group of dark wizards presided over it, chanting a steady rhythm of some fell spell. Many traitors and dark wizards protected them.

"Praise be…" The man, Kesian, was wearing an expression of shock similar to her own. He was watching the energies being extracted steadily from the bodies of the loyalists, his lined face taking on a pained look, which swiftly turned to a smouldering rage. "Their souls… They're stealing their souls. All of them."

A shiver ran down Elyssia's spine at these words and she wasn't the only one. There was just a sudden ripple of intense discomfort and horror from even the hardened Zodiac warriors. How could they do this? It was one thing to kill a man…but to steal his soul was…the most heinous thing she could conceive. Dementors did it but they were monsters, foul creatures created by dark arts. These were humans doing it. Bile rose in her throat and her shoulders were starting to shake with repressed rage, a desire to kill those responsible. Alaric felt the same, his normally stoic mask cracked with fury.

"Bastards… Kill them all! Kill them all!" Alaric and the Zodiacs rose as one, followed by Alexius and Briareos, the Ishval and Adam McFarlin. Elyssia felt herself rising, her body acting of its own accord, her knuckles tightening around the grip of her handle so tight it was starting to cut off circulation in her hand. Alaric went first, diving off the edge, sword cleaving downwards to bisect the first man and behead a further two with the follow up strike. Devastating spells ripped out of the rescue team's line, engulfing men and women in scorching green flames, blasting flesh from their torsos or crashing in to them with invisible battering ram-like blows that shattered bones on impact.

The element of surprise allowed them to force a great wedge through the dark wizards' guardians. Mass waves of enemies were slaughtered in a matter of seconds by the ferocity of the onslaught. Elyssia was in the heart of it, stabbing away with her wand again and again, killing these murderous creatures as many times as it took to purge their crimes from existence. She fought back to back with Eva, the two women caught up in the rescue team's assault, driving forward and leaving bodies in their wake.

She was sprinting past rows of frozen men and women. This close, the intensity of their suffering was increased tenfold. She ran on, her eyes locked on the raised dais. Alaric had stopped ahead, sword parting several men at once from their outstretched limbs, wands clattering to the floor. Elyssia kept going. One man lunged out at her. She kicked him savagely in the face, breaking his nose and sending him tumbling away. Another came up but was immediately tackled to the ground by the Zodiac, Kairi, the woman pulling back the man's head and slitting his throat with her knife.

Then Elyssia was at the platform, a single bound taking her up to it. The chanting wizards seemed to take a long moment to notice her suddenly there. But she didn't give them the next moment to react. Her fury was boiling over, her desire payback overriding her sense of fear of death and her personal horror at what she was doing. All she knew was that these men and women had to die immediately, using whatever means she could use.

She chopped the one nearest to her in the throat, crushing the dark witch's windpipe and sending her toppling off the stage. Her wand was pressed against the temple of the man on her other side and, with a sharp discharge, he collapsed, a smoking hole burned through his skull. There were five more, slowly rising to their feet and drawing wands. A knife flashed out from behind Elyssia, taking one in the head. Another was yanked down by their ankles, slammed to the floor below before having Alaric's sword driven through his chest. Three left…

Two flicks of her wrist deflected the spells fired at her. A curse from her wand took one in the face as she sprinted forward, one foot propelling her off the edge of the cauldron in the centre, diving down along the other side to kick their feet from underneath them. Her wand pressed against one's head and with a bang, it was gone, vaporised by the force of her spell. She whipped around to take down the last but the man's hands chopped left and right simultaneously, knocking her wand aside, toppling off the edge of raised dais. The man's clawed hands reached up, seizing her by the throat and squeezing.

Her lungs grew hot in an instant, starved of oxygen. Her hands strained for her wand that was far out of reach. Elyssia struggled but couldn't break the man's grip. She needed to get herself free…now. Her hands brushed the edges of the item Val had passed to her before they left the house. It might be her only chance now.

A flash of steel and the man recoiled, blood spurting from his suddenly slashed wrists. Elyssia was panting hard as she clutched Val's knife in two hands. Her opponent's lips started moving in some kind of spell incantation. She stabbed down with the blade, punching it down again and again until the man's lips stopped moving and the light faded from his eyes. He was…very dead now. No danger there.

She sat back, staring unseeingly at the battle around her, at the carnage she herself had wrought. It was…scary. She looked down at her hands, finding them slick with blood, the knife still held quivering in them. She wanted to drop it, but some instinct told her to keep hold of it, in case there were more enemies about. All the killing she had done…and she could hardly remember it. It had seemed to pass in a second. Dead eyes stared up at her. She closed hers, willing herself not to look at the gruesome sight before her.

There was a hand on her shoulder and Elyssia turned to find Eva there, chest heaving, bloodied but otherwise unhurt. The other woman helped her to her feet, letting Elyssia lean heavily on her. The Ravenor girl felt cool fingers brushing hair out of her eyes that had been plastered there by sweat…and blood. They turned her face to look at Eva and her worried expression. "Are you alright?"

She didn't know. Was she alright? She was unharmed, her breathing and heart rate were even. She had her wand and knife with her and plenty of energy left to fight a great deal longer. Adrenaline flooded her system, making her hands, no…her whole body shake. It took Eva's firm handling to steady her as Alaric and Kesian bounded up to the platform. Alaric said something to her but she couldn't hear him. The other Zodiac shouted something at him and her little cousin moved off to help him deal with the cauldron, containing the souls of all the loyalist Aurors and law enforcement agents.

The two commands were struggling with it for a moment, muscles straining, and then managing to overturn it, the contents roaring out in a great torrent of warmth that engulfed Elyssia. She felt a strange blackness creep up on her and then it was all over. She passed out, collapsing in to Eva's arms and in to the darkness.

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"Ely! Speak to me!"

Her vision swam and slowly began to focus. Val's face was before hers, concern written across his features, contrasting against the deep cut that ran across his brow and blood dripping a long trail down the side of his face. He was crouched in front of her, sword in one hand, the other shaking her gently by the shoulder.

"Val…? Is it over?"

An explosion rocked the dark passageway they were standing in. Blinking a few times managed to bring the corridor that lead down to the dungeons into focus. Past Val, she could see a furious battle being waged between Aurors and law enforcement agents on both sides, dark wizards and creatures thrown in to the chaos to make the scene even more messed up.

There were shouts, people calling for her brother. He turned to address them, glancing back repetitively at her as if torn between staying with her and going to assist whoever was calling for him. She wasn't dead or dying, of that she was certain. She tried to stand but found her body not responding. She tried again but with as little success as before. The shouts were becoming more insistent.

"Ely… I have to go. I have to lead the main assault now while the enemy is faltering." He hefted his sword over his shoulder and kissed her on the forehead. He gestured and two figures came running over to him. "Stay here in cover, Ely. Alicia, see what you can do about her injures. Kairi, protect her with your life if you must. I'm counting on you both."

Then he was gone, sprinting off back in to the melee, his enchanted blade cleaving a path of bloody ruin towards the main steps leading deeper into the Ministry. No…this was wrong. She was meant to follow him, to be there when he faced his greatest challenge in case he never came back and she wasn't there to witness it.

Elyssia made to push herself up but her body strained and screamed at her to stop moving. Gentle but firm hands pushed her back against the wall as the Zodiac's medic, Alicia, started tending to her wounds, Kairi standing sentinel over them both in case anyone broke through to where they were.

"Hold still, ma'am." Elyssia wanted to protest but she didn't have the energy. All she could do was stretch out an arm, hands grasping for the disappearing figure of Valius as he bounded up the steps leading to the heart of the Ministry, his assault team in tow, driving a wedge through the enemy lines. And then he vanished from sight.

"Don't worry, ma'am. There's never been someone who could stand before the commander before. This won't be any different."

Elyssia swallowed hard and nodded. The medic's words made sense…but the cold sweat in her gloves, the way her limbs kept shaking…she had a very bad feeling about this.


End file.
